Morally Shady
by Foxieglove
Summary: An AU look at 'Strategy X'. Kurt has trouble adjusting, even with Xavier's help. Can Todd bring Kurt out of his self hatred, and in return, can Kurt do the same for Todd? chapter 4 is here and chapter 5 will be coming soon!
1. Morally Shady

Todd counted the cash he'd just lifted and tossed aside the empty wallet. The band was playing full blast now that the game was at half-time, and he could hear cheerleaders squeaking out praise for the Bayville High home team. Why girls went nuts over a bunch of guys who threw around pigskin and grunted a lot, he couldn't tell and didn't really care. It was a distraction, and that was good enough for him. 

His pale eyes swept the entranced crowd for an easy target. They locked onto a middle-aged man walking toward the bathrooms with a hot-dog and drink. The man's entire posture showed that he was in a hurry to relieve himself and get back to the game; he wouldn't notice his pockets becoming any lighter. Tolensky waited for the perfect moment, and made his move. Ten seconds later, he discarded the leather wallet minus whatever cash he could find. He never took credit cards anymore; he'd been caught once and nearly arrested. Skinny bitch of a clerk thought she could actually detain him until the police arrived. Shyeah, right, yo. Who did she think she was anyway, Duncan?

Thinking of the jock gave Todd the memory of an unpleasant taste in his mouth - namely blood. Duncan looked for any excuse he could find to torment Todd on a regular basis. As a result, Todd looked for any excuse to avoid him. A quick nervous glance around told him that Duncan was quite close. Even though half-time was almost over, Todd ducked into the shadows of the bleachers. As he looked up at the potential wealth above however, he forgot all about the bully.

So far, he'd made about fifty or sixty bucks. It would last for a few days at least, but it would be a shame to waste such a golden opportunity. If he found a loaded wallet, maybe he could check into a motel or something. One night off the street with a clean, soft bed and protective walls . . . it was the kind of stuff he could only dream about. 

The boy grimaced at the mud that sucked at his shoes. It was sticky and clumped with garbage those above had dumped through the cracks between the seats, too lazy to get up and find a trashcan. Soda and coffee had also been dumped or spilled, the syrup and sugar holding the muck all together. Todd leapt up out of the digusting stuff, clinging spider-like to the bars and planks. One more wallet, loaded or not, and he was out of here - a motel room with his name on it waiting for him. Skillfully, he eased the thin wallet already sticking out of a guy's backpocket away from its owner and softly chuckled at the easiness. "Got another one. Heh heh."

Without warning, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him down. Todd yelped in pain and fear as he landed hard on his back in the wet, cold sludge. He looked up at his attacker and paled. 

"Well, if it isn't Toady Tolensky picking up a little spare change."

"Hey-hey Duncan . . . I-I can explain . . ."

* * *

Jean was just about to ask where Duncan and his two friends were heading, when someone drew her attention away. "Jean!" yelled a cheerleader, beckoning to her frantically. Of course. Melissa. Jean fought to keep smiling gently as she walked over to the girl. Melissa was a 'groupie' who seemed to think Jean was the coolest person in the universe and would give her right pigtail to be one of her closest friends; if anything to boost her popularity. 

"Hi, Melissa, everything okay?" Jean asked politely. 

"I'm totally in huge trouble right now, and I need you to do a big, big, big, big. . ."

It was all Jean could do to keep from strangling the girl or reaching up to rub her temples. 

". . . big, big, totally _huge_ --"

"Favor?" she finished for the girl. 

Melissa nodded. "Reeeeeeally big favor."

Ever so slightly, Jean's eye twitched. "What can I do for you?"

* * * 

Todd squirmed painfully to get away, even though he knew it was useless. Duncan already had him pinned in place against one of the wooden bars and moving made his back hurt. Frightened gold eyes searched for mercy in cold blue ones, and found none. Todd felt a shiver go up his spine as Duncan's knuckles shifted, digging into his collarbone. He knew what those knuckles could do and once again remembered the taste of blood in his mouth. 

"Let's crush him, Dunc!" sneered Bruce, pounding fist into palm as if he was getting ready to pitch a curveball. 

"Let's not, 'Dunc'," spoke a new voice. 

Both victim and bullies looked incredulously at its source.

* * *

Melissa looked down blushing and tried her best to look cute. 

"There's this guy I really really really really like and he's Duncan's friend so I thought maybe you would know him too and you could help me with one itty bitty teeny question, ummmm . . . . like, what's Jeff's favorite color?"

Jean's eye twitched more noticeably this time.

"And is something like, wrong with your eye?"

* * *

"What do you care about this scuzzo, Summers?" Duncan sneered. 

Todd, now able to recognize his would-be rescuer for the sunglasses, wanted to know the same thing. He barely talked to Scott at all, so why the sudden effort to save his ass?

"Not much," Scott said. "But I'm not crazy about three against one either. Let's settle this peacefully."

_Oh, brother, yo. You call that help?_

"I think me and my buds are going to squash this slimeball. So you and your stupid sunglasses at night can just bail!" 

Todd's stomach turned to jelly and he gave a high-pitched yelp of fear now that Duncan's attention was turned back to him. In the next second, the world turned upside down as he was slammed into the mud, landing wrong on his hip. Dazed with pain, he lied there in a curled position. Duncan's boot was already raised and as soon as Todd realized where it was coming down, he yanked his fingers out of the way in record time. Duncan snarled and raised his foot once more, this time aiming for his face.

"I said stop it!" yelled Scott and ran forward. Toad watched as Duncan was thrown into the other two jocks, sending all of them down into the mud. He would like to have smirked, but he knew that as soon as they got up . . .

Todd scrambled to his hands and feet and started to jump away. He felt a little guilty about leaving Summers there, but from the looks of it, the older boy was handling the situation pretty well. Already he heard the angry shouts of Jeff and Bruce noticing his escape. A quick glance over his shoulder told him they were determined to beat the crap out of him and if they caught him, he was as good as dead. To add insult to injury, they'd probably make a few footballs out of his corpse.

"Ohhhh," he moaned and kept hopping.

* * *

A very bored Jean was stuck listening to Melissa raving about how she just _died_ whenever Jeff looked at her and how he was definitely the sexiest guy in school. Desperate for an escape, she dropped her shields to look for Duncan . . . and did not at all like what she found. 

A chill went up her spine at the level of fury Duncan was aiming - at Scott. She could feel the same anger echoed back, and though she didn't know what was going on, she knew it was most likely going to get nastier if she didn't do something.

_God_, she thought. _Boys. Could they be stupider? _

"Excuse me, Melissa, but I have to go. I'll be right back!"

Before the startled cheerleader could reply, Jean was running as fast as she could toward the bleachers where the emotions were coming from. Peering into the gloom, she could make out two figures, duking it out. One of them was wearing red shades. 

"Scott? Scott, NO!"

Scott turned in the direction of Jean's voice, allowing Duncan to punch him in the face, knocking his glasses off. And all hell broke loose.  


  
* * *

Todd groaned as he was slammed up against something hard. Again.

"So, you - hhhuh - you thought you could - hhhff - get away that easy?" panted Bruce, twisting his arm against his back. Tolensky muttered a response, face and chest shoved up against the metal surface of the dumpster. 

"What did you say, you little creep?" Jeff twisted his fingers in Todd's dusty brown hair and yanked his head back. Todd gave something between a sob and a yelp. 

"N-nothin'," he croaked. "Leggo a'me!"

Jeff was about to reply when an earsplitting explosion coming from behind them made his heart leap in his throat. Bruce and Jeff turned about and could only gape at the fireball that was once the Bayville High game field. Todd took this opportunity to twist out of Bruce's grip and dash down the alley as fast as his legs would carry him. His foot slipped in a puddle and he fell hard on his knee. Floundering unsuccessfully for balance, he crashed face-first into a pile of refuse, knocking over trashcans. Terrified, he scrambled up again and hopped as if he were on live coals, sure that Bruce and Jeff were right behind him. 

After a short while, he realized the quarterbacks were not in pursuit and slowed down. What the heck had just happened anyway? Panting for breath and trying to swallow past the knot of dryness in his throat, Todd leaned his back against a nearby post, waiting until his heart slowed down. As soon as he recovered, he climbed the wall of the school cafeteria and tried to get a better vantage point of the field. Yep, there it was, burning like a merry bonfire, with tiny ant cheerleaders running around screaming and waving their tiny ant arms in hysteria. If it weren't for the fact that most of the flames were coming from under the bleachers he'd just escaped from, it would have been almost funny. 

That could have been _him. _If Duncan hadn't shown up when he did to beat him up . . . great, now he was thankful for being a jock's punching bag. Just when he thought his self-esteem couldn't get any lower . . .

He should leave now; go get that motel room and try to recover from the night's close encounter of the jock kind. But at the same time a random thought burst in his head and left an unpleasant realization. 

"I hope that Summers guy came out okay, yo," Todd murmured.

Whatever happened, Scott wouldn't have been under that thing if it wasn't for Todd. Something was nagging him to make sure the older boy had managed to escape. Probably that little waste of pigeon feathers who called himself a conscience . . . but still it was a nice sentiment. Maybe Scott had been killed or seriously injured. Todd frowned, biting his nail. He should at least go down there to thank him while he still had the chance, even if the place _was_ swarming with police now.

Todd clambered down and began to hop toward the crisping field, ignoring every attempt of his inner coward to convince him otherwise.  
  
By the time he got there, ambulances were already on the scene and the fire wasn't as bad as it had looked before. Todd hopped around, looking for any sign of Summers, then stopped as his gaze fell on paramedics wheeling someone on a stretcher to a waiting emergency vehicle. He squinted, trying to make out who it was, and grinned as he recognized Duncan. Jerk deserved whatever injury he'd gotten. 

He took a few leaps forward, still scanning the area for Scott and saw his target leaning against another set of bleachers, shoulders hunched and scowling darkly towards the field where Duncan was being fussed over. Glad he was okay, Todd approached. 

"Hey, uh . . . Thanks, Summers. I mean really. Y'know?"

Scott didn't answer, still glaring at the captain of the football team. Todd followed his gaze and suddenly, the realization of what was bothering Scott hit him like a brick. Jean was leaning over Duncan's stretcher, comforting him as best as she could. 

"Sure, whatever," Scott responded and began to walk away. 

"He don't deserve her, yo," Todd grumbled, narrowed eyes resting on Jean. Scott stopped in his tracks. 

"_Tell_ me about it," he agreed bitterly. "He treats her like an object. You think she'd know that, being telepa-- er . . ." Scott suddenly blanched. 

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Um, Todd, is it?" Scott asked, desperately trying to change the subject. He didn't dare leave until he was sure Todd hadn't picked up on anything. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine, yo. You saved my ass, big time. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Scott said, shooting another nasty look towards Duncan. 

"By the way, not that I'm complaining, but what the heck made the football field go boom?"

"Uhhhh . . ." Scott fished around for a possible explanation. "You see, there was this um . . hairspray can, and Duncan had a pack of matches -- I mean lighter, and he uh, dropped it . . . um, wait no . . .

If Todd knew one thing, it was a load of bull when he heard it.

"Uh-huh. Eh, what were you sayin about Jean? She's a telepa-whatta . . . somethin'? Sounds like 'telepath'?"

_Ohcrapohcrapohcrap . . . _

Scott's face told all, and Todd had to smirk with how easy it was to nudge the truth out of him. "Hey, that's cool, yo! So she can read minds or tarot cards or what?"

Todd noticed that Scott was turning paler by the minute and decided to make this easy on him. His eyes casually followed a fly that buzzed by his face and in a second, the tongue was out and the fly was gone. He licked his lips and looked at Scott for a reaction.

"You're a mutant . . ." Scott stated, then breathed an immense sigh of relief. 

"Yeah, so what's your power, yo? Startin' fire or telling really bad lies?" Todd snickered. 

"Very funny. You scared the heck out of me, Tolensky. And by the way," Scott added, remembering something. "I think you took something that doesn't belong to you. Now hand over the money."

Todd's smile faded. "And just how do you think I'm gonna eat tonight, yo? If you think I can live off bugs for a week, you got another think comin'."

Scott was taken aback. "You . . . don't have a place to live?"

"'Course I do, yo. I live in a high-quality refrigerator box, complete with a seaside view. Not so bad once you get used to the drafts."

If only Scott would take off his big stupid glasses. Tolensky was _dying _to see his full expression.

Summers placed his hands on his hips and looked down condescendingly on the smaller boy. "Well, from one mutant to the other, I think you'd be safer at the mansion."

Todd blinked. "Whoa, did you just say _mansion?_ Ohhh, wait, you're one of those institute kids! Ain't that a place for loonies or juvies?"

"No. Those are just rumors. To the rest of the public, it's just a boarding house for exchange students. But for people like us - mutants - it's a place for those with special powers."

"What, they get sent there when their folks don't want them anymore or somethin'?"

"No!"

"Then why?"

"I . . . well, lots of different reasons. We're able to find them with this machine called Cereb-- um, I can't really talk about that here." Scott looked around, nervously for anyone who might be within earshot.

"I heard that place is tough . . . what's gonna happen to you?" Todd searched Scott's face for any telltale signs of fear. He found merely a grimace but it was enough to set him on guard. "They don't beat you up or nothin' do they?"

"No, they do not," Scott explained, sounding exasperated. "You really have a problem with figures of authority, don't you?"

"Actually, it's more like figures of authority have a problem with _me,_" Todd grinned.   


"There he is!!!" yelled someone's voice. "Let's get 'em!" Ah, good old Bruce and Jeff.

Todd crouched down, his whole spine tensing up. "Great, just when I thought I got rid of 'em."

"Come on, back here!" Scott called, waving for Todd to follow him. The teen hopped after Scott and both of them traveled fleetly, keeping to the shadows. 

They relaxed only when they heard the fading shouts behind them trail off in confusion and die away. 

"God," Todd moaned, lying himself on the ground. Scott immediately went into worry mode and knelt next to him. 

"You okay? Where does it hurt?"

"What you talkin about? I'm just resting," the boy wheezed. 

"Can you get up?"

"Yeah, yeah, just gimme a minute. God, I've never run so friggin' much in my life. By the way, your nose is bleedin'."

Scott put a hand consciously to his face and fished around in his pocket for a napkin. Todd rolled over on his side, still breathing unevenly, and listened to the rustle of grass as the older boy laid down beside him. He glanced over to see Scott flat on his back, head tilted up with a napkin clamped around his nose. 

"What happened?"

"Duncan punched me when Jean yelled at us. I looked at her for just a second and got a left hook to the face."

"Ouch. And you still care about her? Me, I'd forget about it."

Scott sighed and lifted the napkin away, studying the two spots of dark blood that had covered his nostrils. "I guess I should. If she wants to stay with Duncan, it's her choice. Can't really blame her for it, if she likes him."

"Mmm. Yeah, okay, I can buy that. Weird, though. I don't think Duncan would be so hot around her if he ever found out she was one of us. She oughta just dump him right now and save herself the trouble. She should be goin' out with fella's more her type. Like us."

"Maybe she thinks Duncan would accept her," Scott reasoned. 

"Whatever, yo. Deeee-lusional."

"Maybe not," Scott admonished. "The Professor says we should have faith in the human race and hope for acceptance. How can we do that unless we try?"

"Who's the 'Professor'?"

"Professor Xavier runs the Institute." Scott sat up and stayed like that for a few moments, quickly wiping a finger across the underside of his nose to make sure it was dried. "Speaking of which, we'd better head over there now. He's probably gonna want to talk to me, but later he might let me show you around."

"Can you show me the kitchen first, yo? I'm starvin', and this time it ain't for bugs."

Scott looked Todd over, eyeing the various scrapes and bruises he could see. "I think the first thing either of us will be touring is the infirmary. Just for a quick fix-up. Do you have any belongings?"

"Yeah, in my locker. Just books and stuff. Ms. Darkholme lent 'em to me."

"The principal?"

"Yeah, she is _weird_, yo. She looks at me sometimes and has this weird smile on her face like she _knows_ I'm . . . y'know, _different _. . ."

Scott frowned. "That's pretty creepy, but it might not be anything. You wanna talk to the Prof about it?"

"Mmmm, nah, you're probably right. She's just . . . eh, whatever," Todd shrugged. He looked away, embarassed that he had made a fool of himself. 

But Scott didn't say anything; and the two walked along in perfect silence for a while, making their way toward the road in the direction of the Institute. 

* * *

The limosuine drove at a moderate rate, making the lights of the city look like shooting stars. Kurt watched out of the corner of his eye, enjoying how one light would move across his line of vision slowly, then zip away in a streak. It was fun. It took his mind off the feeling of being away from his parents and home; the only place he'd ever felt safe. 

His tridactyl hands clutched the handle of his duffle bag tightly and his tail twitched in occasional boredom. Kurt hated that tail sometimes. It had a mind of its own. Here he was, his nerves in a tight bundle of knots and his tail was _bored. _Or maybe just as exhausted as he was from worry and jetlag. 

From the driver's seat, Ororo could not help glancing in the mirror at Kurt. Even though his face was still mostly covered by the hood - he'd refused to take it off, even when he got in the car, _despite_ the assurance of tinted windows - she could pick up the emotions he was feeling almost as well as Xavier. And if she was right about them, it was going to take far more than kind words and promises from Xavier to make him feel comfortable with his new home.

**To be continued . . .**

(A/N: Next chapter, Todd and Scott meet Kurt. Logan returns. Ororo sings opera. Er, kidding about that last one. Maybe . . .)


	2. Antiseptic Sadism

"Yow! Aw, man, do you _haf_ ta use that stuff? Fuckin' stings!"

"Watch your language," Scott told him, while swiping a cottonball soaked in alcohol across Todd's scraped cheek. The latter made a face at both the brief moment of antiseptic fire in his cut and Scott's 'reprimand'.

"Why? The adults don't even let you _cuss _here?"

Scott tried briefly to imagine himself exclaiming a bad word in front of _Logan_ and felt the color drain out of his face. "Er, it's _definitely_ a good idea to watch your mouth. Ororo, Logan, and the Prof treat us with respect, so we should treat them with respect as well."

Todd made a small noise of indignance and sat up from where he was laying on the med-table. "Waitasec, I ain't never said nuthin' about cussin' someone _out_, yo. I mean, what you s'posed to say when you slam your finger in the door?"

"Make sure you don't slam it in the door, I guess."

Tolensky stared at him. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard, yo."

Scott chose to ignore that and focused his attention to some of the other abrasions on Todd's body. The alcohol-doused material barely made contact with his bloodied knee before Todd jerked the wounded area away instinctively. Scott sighed and wrapped his hand firmly around the boy's leg, holding it in place.

"Just stay still. I _have_ to clean this out or it'll get infected. Jeez, was there glass or anything where you fell? It looks bad."

"No, I don't think so. Hey, don't pour the whole danged _bottle_ on it! I'm fine, yo, just gimme a bandaid or someth-- Aaaaaaaagh!" the boy shrieked as the alcohol kicked in.

"It'll be over in a sec, hang in there," Scott encouraged him. He watched with a twinge of remorse as Todd's fingers curled around the edge of the med-table, gripping it tightly. Perhaps he _had_ used a little too much . . .

"Scott, what poor animal are you torturing? I could hear screaming all the way to the garage."

"Ms. Ororo?" Scott asked, turning at the sound of her voice. She smiled at him from the doorway and made her way over to them. "I thought you weren't going to get back until much later."

"It was an estimate. Professor Xavier's talking to Kurt upstairs." Scott frowned in concern, about to ask why she looked upset at the mention of the new student. But before he could articulate a word, Ororo had picked up the bottle of rubbing alcohol and was regarding him with a frown.

"I thought I _told_ you not to use this on open wounds. It kills bacteria, but tissue as well."

Todd gave Scott a withering look, and the older boy winced upon realizing his folly. "Oh man, I'm sorry! I forgot. You're supposed to use the betadine."

"Right. The alcohol is for sterilizing surface areas," Ororo acknowledged, opening a drawer with more medical supplies and picking out the required bottle. "And I don't think _I'm_ the one you need to be apologizing to." She winked at Todd and turned to walk out of the room. "The professor would like to talk with both of you in his study as soon as you're finished here."

"Wait a minute, how did he --" Scott started to ask, but realized what a stupid question that was to ask about a telepath. "Oh. Okay, we'll be right there. Todd? I'm really sorry," he began, unscrewing the lid to the betadine.

"Does that stuff sting too?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out."

"Sadistic, ain't we?"

------------------------------------

"I realize that this must be a challenging time for you, Kurt. I can see that you miss your home, your family. I'd like you to know that you may call them at any time while you're staying here and -- Kurt? Are you listening?" the professor asked gently, seeing the young man's eyes gazing everywhere but him. Xavier was not the type to demand that a person's eyes had to be resting solely on him while he was talking, but he could tell when someone's attention was elsewhere.

Kurt snapped out whatever reverie he had been engrossed in at the sudden silence and realized he'd been ignoring Xavier. "Oh! I-Ich bitte Ihr Verzeihen! Sorry, Professor --"

Xavier held up a hand. "It's all right, Kurt. You must be tired from your journey."

"No, on the contrary, Herr Professor, I do not think I can sleep. What I've seen of this place is wonderful but . . ."

"It's not _home_," Xavier finished, understanding. "I know how you feel. Well, might I suggest --" he began, but was interrupted at a soft knock on the door. "Ah, Scott and . . . Todd, I think it was. Kurt? Would you like to meet two of your fellow mutants?"

"Nein! Uh, I'm not ready," Kurt pleaded, fumbling to pull his hood up to cover his face. "I'm sorry, Herr Professor."

"Kurt -" Xavier started, but the teen bamfed away before another word could be spoken. Doing a quick mental scan, Xavier found Kurt in the library they had passed on the way to his study and sighed in relief. Though he was sure Kurt knew better, he was going to have to warn him not to teleport randomly in this place; there were a few areas he could end up that were _unsafe_, to say the least.

"Professor?" Scott's voice questioned and the door opened just a crack.

"Come in, please."

Both boys entered and at the professor's bidding, seated themselves in the offered chairs.

"Is everything all right?" asked Scott, seeing the worried and defeated look on Xavier's face.

"Yes, Scott," the professor assured him, focusing on the task at hand. "However, I _do_ wish to talk to you later about a certain event I saw in the news."

Scott winced. "Er . . ."

"Not now, Scott. Later, in private."

Todd looked at Scott's expression nervously, then back at the professor. Xavier looked at him kindly. "Todd, is it?"

"Yeah?" he answered tentatively.

"Can you show me a demonstration of your powers?"

"Ummm . . . o-okay."

Xavier barely had time to blink before Todd was behind and above him, clinging to the wall. He looked down at the Prof and grinned. "Very impressive," Xavier said, not without raising an eyebrow slightly.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet! Watch this!" Todd shot out his tongue toward the nearby desk, aiming for a pen. He nabbed it, but accidentally knocked everything off the desk to the floor. "Uhhh . . . oopth. M'sah-ree . . ." Embarrassed, Todd tried to shake the pen off the end of his tongue. The pen stayed put, but ink spurted everywhere, giving Xavier a scattering of beauty marks and a third eyebrow.

Scott snorted and coughed at the same time, in a desperate attempt not to laugh.

"Sah'ee," Todd apologized again. Humiliated, he pulled his tongue in, yanked off the pen and tried to wipe the slime off with his shirt before handing it back to the professor.

Xavier took it, wiped his face, and (much to Todd's relief) smiled with a hint of amusement.

"Well, those _are_ rather unique gifts, Mr. Tolensky. And you seem to have adequate control over them. When did you first notice these powers?"

"When I was thirteen, yo. Just before I, uh, left."

"Left? From where?" Xavier inquired.

Todd remained on the wall in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, then back-flipped away and landed at a crouch on the floor. "If I tell you, would you send me back?"

"That would depend on who you ran away from. If your parents were to find you here, illegally in my custody, I'm afraid there would be some serious consequences. For the both of us."

"Ah. Well, you don't gotta worry 'bout that. My parents are dead."

Scott stared, bewildered, and Xavier looked at him in sympathy.

"But then who pays for your tuition at Bayville High?" Scott blurted before the professor could say anything.

"Ummm . . . well, I dunno. But when I asked her 'bout it, the principal said not to worry. She said _she'd_ take care of it. Even gave me books an' stuff."

"Ms. Darkholme?" mused Xavier, looking at Todd strangely. The boy nodded in affirmation. "I see. So who _did_ you run away from, Todd? Social services?"

"Yeah," Todd replied, uncomfortably. _Please don't call 'em, man. They'll tell ya lies 'bout me just so you'll send me back. All they care about is money from the state. _

"If I call them, it will only be to arrange a meeting so I can sign the necessary papers. Any information about you, I'll learn for myself while you're here. I will never judge a person by what _others_ have to say about him."

"Whoa . . ." Todd blinked. _Where'd all that come from? It's like he was readin' my -_

"Mind," finished Xavier. "I assure you, I didn't _try_. But your thoughts did reach me, as well as feelings of anxiety and unease."

Todd opened his mouth and closed it, finding nothing to say.

"I know. I'm still trying to get used to it, too," Scott told him, wryly.

-----------------

Her hands glided over the ivory and ebony bars, bringing forth sweet notes of music wherever they descended. Ororo's eyes scanned the notes on the page before her, keeping both tempo and concentration. Not once did her eyes leave the music sheets to look down where her fingers danced across the piano keys.

For Kurt it was a fascinating thing to watch, from his perch on the wide library window shelf. His tail twitched in interest, and his hood was lowered again to hang off his shoulders, letting his blue face, gold eyes, and all in the open. Ororo had entered, not noticing him, to seat herself at the piano bench where she'd placed the music notes before her and started playing.

But any moment now, she might turn around and give out a cry of shock, or scream upon seeing his visage. Even if a person had seen him once, he usually had to warn them where he was at all times so he couldn't 'spook' them. Exceptions being his parents, bless them. And perhaps the Professor, but he had been sent photographs of Kurt two weeks ago, giving him plenty of time to get used to his looks.

But Ororo never even turned around. Instead, she began to sing softly, in a different language. Her voice was level as if singing a church hymn, low and pleasant despite the complication of the notes. Kurt rather _enjoyed _it, and even clapped softly when the final notes had faded off into memory. He hadn't meant for her to hear his applause and gasped as she turned around to smile appreciatively. Kurt's eyes widened and he tensed, waiting for the horrified gasp.

None came. But Ororo did stare, although not in a scrutinizing fashion and her lips formed a smile. Did she like what she saw? Nein,unmöglich Kurt pulled up his hood, not noticing the sad disappointment that crossed Ororo's face.

"That was good," he congratulated her. "What were you singing?"

"It's called 'Paris canaille'. Italian opera. I don't know the exact translation, but it's one of my favorites."

"But wouldn't it be better if you knew what you were singing?"

"Perhaps, it would. But even without that knowledge, it is still beautiful. Some things should be left as they are; whether or not they are understood."

"I guess . . ." Kurt murmured. He looked down at the book in his three-fingered hands and closed it gently. Immediately after, his stomach made a loud request for nourishment. Kurt blushed beneath his hood. "Ach. I'd better warn you now, I eat a _lot_."

"So I've heard," chuckled Ororo. "Would you like me to show you to the kitchen?"

"Danke, Fräulein. I'd very much appreciate it."

Kurt teleported from his perch in a cloud of smoke and reappeared next to Ororo. She jumped a little, but quickly recovered with another gentle smile. But Kurt believed he could see a little tension behind her smiling countenance. Wordlessly, he walked beside her through hallways and down stairs, half-listening to her explanations of what some of the rooms they passed were used for. The other half of his focus was on where to go if they ran into anyone other than the professor. Kurt hadn't been joking when he said he wasn't ready to meet other students yet. He wanted to have at least one day without being gawked or shrieked at.

But he didn't want to be _pitied_ either. Lieber Gott, he'd had enough of _both_ reactions.

_Then what **do** you want?_ a voice in the back of his mind questioned. _I don't know_, Kurt answered back miserably. _But I suppose I can't blame them, whatever they do. If I were born normal, and I saw someone who looked like me, I'd probably freak out too._

"Here we are," Ororo said, showing him into a brightly lit room. Kurt stepped inside and looked around in wonder. The kitchen was almost bigger than his parents' verdammt _living_ room. If his stomach had eyes, it would probably be doing flips of joy.

"There's plenty in the fridge and pantry. Just help yourself. And be careful with the microwave; it tends to overcook things even at the lowest setting. We need to call someone around to fix that. I'll be in the library for a while longer, and I believe the professor is still in his study. Do you know how to find us?"

"Ja! I remember."

"Good. I'll see you later on tonight, Kurt." Ororo gave one last smile and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Kurt to his own devices.

His first action was to flick off the panel of light-switches, turning on the small one directly over the counter. There, _much_ cozier. Fluorescence never was his friend; the garish light made him feel naked and vulnerable.

Blue fingers wrapped around the refrigerator handle and pulled open the door. "_Mmmm,_" he purred as his eyes landed on a helpless bowl of tuna. It squealed appropriately as it was dragged across the rack to meet a dire fate.

----------------------

"Well, Mr. Tolensky, since most of your questions have been answered, shall we call it a night?"

"Yeah, sorry. I know I was like the 'thing that wouldn't shut up'."

"No apology is necessary, please," Xavier protested gently. "I'm glad you asked me what you wanted to know. If there's anything more you think of, I'll be here and waiting."

"Ain't you gonna sleep?" Todd asked. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight.

"I'm not quite sure at this point, Todd," Xavier sighed. "There's someone else who may need to talk with me a while longer. Mr. Wagner is also a new student here, from Germany."

"Germany?" Todd whistled. "That's a long way, yo. So he's homesick, huh?"

"That may be part of it. I'm afraid it's not something he'd like me to talk about, Todd."

"'Kay. Sorry. Hey, um, Professor, can you tell me where the kitchen is? If it's okay, I haven't had anything to eat. Well, 'scept for those fireflies just after sunset . . ."

Scott stood up. "I'll show you there."

"Actually, Scott, I'd like you to stay so we can have that discussion I mentioned earlier," requested Xavier.

"Oh, sure." Looking flustered, Scott sat back down.

"Todd, the kitchen is downstairs and through the hallway on your right. Then take three lefts and it'll be the first room on your right."

Todd nodded, then blinked in utter confusion.

"It's right across from the infirmary," Scott added, helpfully.

"Hey, yeah, I kinda remember where that is. Well, see ya," Todd said, and left the room, waving a good-bye over his shoulder.

Scott watched the door close after the retreating frog-boy. "You know, I don't think he's as tough as he likes to act sometimes. What about you, Professor?"

"I don't either, Scott. Now, before we go on any more tangents . . . may I ask what prompted you to fight with Duncan?"

Taken aback at the fact that the professor knew such details already, Scott had to wait a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Well, it started out with Tolensky. Duncan caught him pick-pocketing some of the spectators, so he and his buddies decided to 'teach him a lesson'."

"Ah. And Duncan was not appreciative of your efforts to save Todd?"

"Uh, no. He was pretty intent on beating the guy up," Scott answered, starting to feel uncomfortable. This turn of conversation was different from what he had expected; a lecture on controlling his powers.

"Do you kow if Duncan usually does this? To other students at your high school, not just Todd?"

"I don't know, but he sure seems the type. Todd seemed pretty familiar with the guy. He wasn't struggling . . . just holding still and keeping his eyes closed."

A brief look crossed Xavier's face; one of concern and worry. "Go on. What happened next?"

-------------------------------

Todd never would have found the kitchen if he hadn't smelled the tuna first. It was strong enough to make his stomach growl and he didn't even _like_ tuna. All that mattered was that it was food.

Light humming came out of one room, in which the smell was strongest. Todd spotted the cloaked figure standing at the counter and grinned. "Hey, what's cookin', yo?" he asked, stepping into the kitchen. That was before he noticed the tail waving in time with the music. Which _froze_ at the sound of his voice.

"Uhh . . . " the figure stated, voice quavering. Soft cursing could then be heard in a foreign language with strong German accents.

Todd realized that this was the student Xavier had appeared so worried about. Maybe that tail wasn't the only reason . . . maybe whatever else was under that cloak _was._ In any case, awkward silence wasn't gonna make anyone comfortable.

"Sorry if I startled you. My name's Todd Tolensky. This is my first day too, yo," Todd tried again. In one hop, he was leaning against the counter and Kurt looked away quickly so the boy couldn't see what was under the hood.

Kurt bit his lip to keep from cursing again. He should just teleport right now; just like he planned to in the halls with Ororo, but for some sadistic reason he found that he couldn't bamf for several contributing factors. One, while he could take the sandwich, the rest of the food would be left behind and he was _hungry_. Two, whoever this boy was, he had obviously seen the tail and wasn't screaming. And three, he wasn't sure where the library was anymore and had the feeling that teleporting in this place randomly was a Class Five 'Nuh-Uh'.

He stiffened as he noticed that Todd was staring at something with a mixed expression of horror and fascination. With a gasp, he drew his exposed hands hurriedly back into the folds of his generous sleeves, only to see Todd reach over and cautiously nudge at Kurt's tuna, peanut butter, potato chip, and tomato sandwich. "You really gonna eat that?" The tip of a green tongue poked out of the boy's mouth and ran across dry lips.

"Ja," Kurt pronounced clearly and before Todd could blink, a good sized chunk of the sandwich was missing complete with the imprints of abnormally large canines. Todd got the message and edged what he deemed a safe distance away from the German boy's 'territory'.

"How's it taste?" he inquired, by way of peace offering.

"Mmmph." Kurt chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed. The little voice in the back of his head still insisting that he run was drowned out by the blissful feeling of abated hunger. "Anything's good when you're starving!"

"Heh, I guess, that's true, yo."

_GRRRRRROWWWWL._

Kurt's eyebrows raised in astonishment. "Was that me or you?"

"Me. I'm starvin'." Todd opened the fridge door and began to rummage around.

"When have you last eaten?"

"Earlier, but it wasn't much. Three days with nothin' but bugs is my limit, so I'm okay."

"Mein _Gott. _Three days?" Kurt echoed weakly. _He eats bugs?_ another part of his mind yelped, grossed out.

"Eh, that's what I get for ditchin' my old place. But trust me, the freedom's worth it." Todd's voice trailed off as he crunched into a dill pickle. His gold eyes scanned the contents of the fridge hopelessly, looking for something he wouldn't have to cook. He didn't think Xavier would appreciate him setting the kitchen fire alarms off, and he was certainly not going to use dishes. That would mean he'd have to _wash_ them. (Ewww . . . _work _. . . )

Kurt finished the rest of his sandwich and tried once again to search his memory for the library's whereabouts. He couldn't believe the other boy hadn't freaked out on him yet. He'd seen the tail and that was usually enough to set _everyone_ off. The face however . . . the face was twice as worse. It scared people only briefly. Then they wanted to _hurt_ him. He didn't want to press his luck.

Todd's glance fell on the sandwich stuff spread out all over the counter. "Yo, how'd I miss all that? No wonder I couldn't find anything in' the fridge." At that particular moment, Kurt sorted out his thoughts, recalled exactly where the library was and sent a whole gift basket of prayers to Heaven.

"Um, Todd is it? I'm going to go now. It's been nice meeting you, and maybe I'll see you tomorrow, but . . . I think Herr Professor needs to see me.""

"Nah, he's busy with Summers," Todd informed him, spreading mustard on a slice of wheat bread. He was met with a blank stare and slapped his forehead. "Oh, well duh, like you'd know who Summers is. Sorry. I meant Scott Summers, he goes here too. Shoots lasers outta his eyes an' stuff. Blew up the football field. _Way_ cool." THAT got Kurt's attention.

"_Vas!_"

"He blew up the football field.," the boy repeated. "It's on the news channel probably." Todd continued to make his sandwich calmly.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Nope. Well, not badly anyway. So hey, what's your power? I never got ta ask. Heck, didn't even ask your _name_ yet."

Kurt smiled. "The name's Kurt Wagner." There was a popping sound and Kurt disappeared, only to reappear beside Todd. The boy yelped and dropped both bread and knife. "And that's my power."

"Now _that _is a way to travel," Tolensky exclaimed enviously, when he could breathe properly again.

"It's helpful," Kurt grinned, shrugging. His tail swished on the floor placidly. The other boy tried not to stare at it, but Kurt caught the eye movement and curled it under his robe. "Uh, I know the tail looks weird and . . ." _I'm making a verdammt fool of myself. I should just go._ "Well, anyway. It was nice meeting you. I'd better go now."

"Yo wait a minute, you don't gotta leave! Sorry if I made you feel weird or anythin'."

"It's nothing you did, honest. As for the weirdness level, I've pretty much got all the trophies for that category."

"What, and you think I'm normal? Just watch." Todd shot out his tongue and stuck it to the opposite wall then drew it back in his mouth with a snap. "Now that's gotta win at least one door prize. Freaky."

Kurt stared at the green slime dripping off the other wall. "Ja, kinda . . ."

"Kinda? It blows, dawg. I can't ever _kiss_ anyone. Not that I'd ever get a girlfriend anyway, so why should I care? Just be glad you ain't green."

A bitter laugh was his response. "What about blue?"

"Eh, blue's a nice color."

"And covered in fur?"

"You kiddin' me? Chicks _dig_ fur. Anything else?"

"Pointed ears, fangs, yellow eyes . . . what else do you _need?_"

"No crooked teeth, cleft palate, nose rings, scars, facial bunions? Come on, you don't sound scary to me." Todd snorted.

Kurt gave a soft sigh. "I just don't want anyone to scream at me. Maybe tomorrow I can deal with it, but not tonight."

Todd's face took on a mock-serious expression. "Scream? No, no, no, I ain't a screamer." Todd took a stance, puffing out his chest and sniffing deeply. "Now I _might_ throw my sandwich in the air, but there ain't gonna _be_ no screamin'. You've got my word, you can count on me to be manly 'bout this, dawg." Todd took a 'manly' bite out of his sandwich.

Kurt tried and failed to keep from grinning at that. He ducked his head, still keeping the hood up.

_Why the hell does he have to sound so . . . understanding? And why do I have to be so gullible? Ach, I'm sick of my stomach turning into knots. He sounds cool so I might as well get it over with._

Tolensky waited curiously as the German boy tentatively pulled down the cowl to expose his face. The amphibious teen took in the elfin features - ears, high cheekbones, strong nose - and the wide cat-like yellowish eyes, and long indigo hair. The blue fur he'd been expecting from the tail, so it wasn't as great a shock. The shock was the fact that Scott was standing in the doorway, eyes wide with horror.

Before Todd could utter a word, Scott yelled more than enough. "Holy SHIT!" he yelped.

The German teen cried out in alarm, pulling his cowl back and cringing. Todd looked at Scott in bewilderment, then back to Kurt, feeling horrible. "Aw dawg . . . Listen, I'm . . ." Todd saw his muscles tense as if about to take off running, even though Scott was standing in the only exit. It was then the frog-boy realized what Kurt was about to do.

Todd moved fast, and almost didn't make it in time. His hand brushed against Kurt's cloak just as a cloud of smoke engulfed the space where they'd both been standing, leaving Summers to stand there, coughing at the overwhelming odor of sulfur and brimstone.

"Wait!" he choked out, realizing far too late who the blue demon was. Great, the Professor was gonna just _love_ this.

-----------------------------

BAMF

"Let GO of me!"

"No! Wait, don't --"

BAMF

Ororo stared at the smoke disappearing, ignoring the small raincloud drowning her poor fern plant. "What on earth was that about?"

-----------------------------

BAMF

"I said let go!"

"Not until you listen!" yelled Todd, keeping a firm grip on Kurt's robe.

"Nein! I want to be left alone!"

"Look, I'm _sorry_ that Summers freaked out on you--"

"That was not your fault. It was mine," Kurt snapped, voice heavy with the weight of unshed tears.

"He was just shocked, yo. It wasn't personal or nothin'-"

"You're not _listening_. I'm not blaming him or you or anyone else. _I'm_ the one who's . . . I'm . . ." Kurt turned his face away, shoulders shaking. He leaned against the wall of the empty bedroom and slid down until he was sitting, tail curled around his ankles.

Todd gave a sharp sigh and crouched next to him. Aaugh! Just what was he supposed to say? "I ain't the handsomest guy around here either. But it ain't anything I stress out over. I got used to it, y'know?"

"But at least _you_ can show your face outside!" came the half-sobbed reply.

"So? It doesn't matter if you look normal; people will find other ways to make you miserable. I just don't try anymore, yo. Ain't worth my time tryin' to be like everyone else."

The blue elf-demon wiped the back of his wrist across his eyes and breathed deep, trying to swallow the tears that had formed. "Are you saying then . . . that I should stop caring too? Maybe I _did_ hope for too much."

Yeah, maybe he did. Still, was it really a kindness toward the elf to bury that hope with cynicism? He'd crossed over land and sea for its sake, risking exposure as a mutant, followed by death and dissection -- whichever came first. That took a lot of courage; not to mention faith. Todd knew he had to respect that.

"No. You should never stop caring," Todd mumbled. "Just don't expect to not run into stupid people. This is America, remember? EVERYBODY came over."

Kurt snorted and tried not to laugh at that. Encouraged Todd put his hands on the elf's shoulders. "You're gonna have setbacks like this, but you know that sayin'? If you fall off your horse, get right back on it? It's somethin' a geezer would say, but it makes sense."

Despite the cliché, Todd's voice was sincere, and it did hold comfort. A shaky albeit genuine smile spread across Kurt's features. "Danke."

"Huh?

"It means 'thanks'."

"Oh . . . I knew that."

--------------------------------------

"There you are! Yes, I'm talking to you, strudel boy!" Niles declared, storming right up to the seated man.

Kurt snorted and nearly choked on his newly made sandwich. "Strudel boy!" he sputtered, laughing.

Niles continued his tirade onscreen. "No one seduces my wife and gets away with it! You probably thought because of my refined bearing and swimmers' build that I wouldn't put up a fight for the woman I love. But you're dead wrong, because real men have a thing called honor!"

The fencing instructor stood up then, a full head taller than Niles.

". . . Yow!" yipped his scrawny antagonist.

Todd snickered and Kurt's laughter was muffled by the bread around his fanged dentures.

The sound of polite coughing took their attention away from the show. Both boys turned to see Scott walking toward them. "Uh, I'm sorry about my reaction," the older boy apologized awkwardly. "I . . . I wasn't expecting . . ." He trailed off, embarrassed.

"It's allright," Kurt said gently. "I-I'm just surprised you're actually talking to me after that. Most people don't attempt a second approach."

"Why don't we try again?" He held out his hand. "I'm Scott Summers."

"Kurt Wagner." The boys shook hands and Scott walked around the couch to sit by them.

"So what are you guys watching?"

"Uh, something called 'Frasier' I think. It's pretty funny. Want to stay with us?"

"Sure." Scott watched as Niles swung across the room on the chandelier to escape the irate German fencing instructor. Quietly, he breathed out in relief. Xavier had not been angry at him for his reaction to Kurt. He'd expressed only worry when he learned Kurt had teleported, and was about to do a quick scan for the boy's whereabouts when Ororo had contacted him. Xavier had been silently listening to something for a while, driving Scott crazy with curiosity. Then just as he'd been about to ask what the heck was going on, the Professor had smiled to himself.

"Very well spoken," he'd murmured, so quietly Scott almost didn't hear him. "Everything's allright now, Scott," he'd said after a few more seconds of concentrating, perhaps replying to Ms. Ororo. "Kurt just went back to the kitchen. It appears he's feeling better now. I'd give him a little while before approaching him again."

"I just want to tell him how sorry I am."

"Scott, I don't want you to blame yourself for this. I never told you that Kurt looked different in any way. You had no idea what to expect. From his experiences, Kurt has unfortunately learned that fear of his appearance will either lead to ridicule or ill-will toward him and his family. But fear is a natural instinct meant to save your life. It lasts only as long as you need to determine whether or not something is safe. In Kurt's case, some people will get over that initial fear . . . and some won't."

"I think I understand now, Professor."

And he had.

In time, he hoped Kurt would too.

**  
To Be Continued . . .**

_A/N: I added a bit more to this chapter. Didn't like Kurt's accent, it was a pain in the butt and I had skipped a few 'what's' and other 'w' words. Also, I didn't think I'd really resolved anything with poor Scott, so . . . meh. _

_Aww,_ _and I lied about Logan returning in this chapter. Sowwy! -; Next chapter, Todd has a very bad day at school. And Logan returns. Maybe. O.o; I think, unless it's the next chapter . . . hee . . . Also, the idea of Kurt making weird sandwiches was inspired by Internutter. Hope she doesn't mind. -; And the episode of Frasier they're watching is called 'An Affair to Forget'. My absolute favorite. If you wanna read the script of the episode and imagine the guys' reactions, go here:_

_hugs_ _to all who reviewed Thank you! Sorry for making you wait so long! -_


	3. The Principal Bites, Yo

There was a timid knock on the door. It was so soft that Todd almost didn't bother venturing out of the dream world to acknowlege it. He would've been perfectly content to lie there in half-wakefulness and pretend he'd heard nothing, but the knock persisted just a fraction stronger and it was followed by an equally nervous whisper.

"Todd? You awake?"

His eyelids cracked open just enough to let blank featureless light in. "What time s'it?"

"Um, about six thirty." There was a dejected pause. "Okay, I'll leave."

"No, no, wait." Blankets and sheets tangled his limbs as he squirmed out of the warm cocoon. Todd felt a shudder go through him at the sudden drop in temperature and twisted the doorknob to allow Kurt inside.

As soon as the door opened however, Kurt bamfed away. Todd blinked owlishly in confusion. "Where . . .?"

"I'm right here." At the voice, Todd looked over his shoulder to see Kurt sitting atop his bed, bundled in his robes from yesterday. The elf smiled winningly. Todd flung the door shut and blew a raspberry at him. Kurt raised both eyebrows, astonished. "What was _that_ for?"

"For makin'me get out of a nice cozy bed when you could've just done _that!_" Todd climbed right back on the bed and stuck his legs under the blankets, shivering. "I hate cold mornings," he whined.

Laughing, Kurt shook his head. "But it's not _polite_ to teleport into people's rooms without their permission. Especially if you're not sure whether they're decent."

"Uh-oh. Somethin' tells me you figured that one out the hard way." Todd snickered when the elf blushed under his fur. "What's up?"

"I wanted to know if you'd like to catch an early breakfast? Before anyone else shows up? I don't think I'd do much good for everyone's appetite."

A wry look crossed Todd's face. "You shouldn't think that, yo. Specially since _you_ ain't the guy who eats with their tongue."

The German boy gave a small hint of a smile, but looked a little hurt. "Sorry," Todd began, feeling a pang of remorse. Something he hadn't felt in a long time - for anything. "It's not like it don't suck and all, but - "

"Nein!" the elf interjected quickly. "Don't apologize, you're right. I talked my Mama and Papa into letting me come here to meet people like me, so I wouldn't be afraid to show who I was. I shouldn't be – at least not here. It's just . . . everyone still looks so _normal. _"

"You were expecting somethin' weirder?"

Kurt sighed. "Rather selfish, isn't it? I wouldn't wish this form on my worst enemies."

"More than I could say for myself, yo. You don't _act_ like a monster, and that's the important thing."

"That's exactly what my mother --" Kurt trailed off as his eyes fell upon something they hadn't before. The shirt Scott had loaned him to sleep in hung loosely on Todd's diminutive frame, allowing glimpses of skin concealed yesterday by the boy's normal attire. A dark bruise spread across the base of Todd's throat and several smaller ones clustered in the area below his collarbone. Patches of gleaming raw skin and various scrapes decorated what Kurt could see of his back and he was sure they continued on downwards beneath the cloth. "Wh-Who did all that?"

Todd flushed in embarrassment. "Some jerk at school. Duncan Matthews. I wasn't being careful." He fished a wad of paper bills out from the back pocket of his jeans which were draped over the back of a chair. "Guess my eyes were too big for my own good. Otherwise, I woulda been outta there before those jocks messed around with me."

He needn't have avoided the elf's gaze. Kurt may have been educated about stealing, but he knew about starving as well. "So this Duncan . . . he beat on you because he thought it was justice?"

"He beat on me because he thought it was _fun._ Ain't the first time, yo. Would've been a lot uglier if Summers hadn't shown up when he did. I'm nothin' without my powers," he grumbled darkly. _And even _then_, not much._

"That's not true."

Todd was about to argue, but bit his lip and glanced at the bedside clock. "We still goin' to the kitchen? I'm starvin'."

---------------------------------

Six forty-five found the pair in the dining room. Kurt hung from the chandelier by his feet to consume a plate of breakfast foodstuffs, a glass of milk curled carefully in his tail. Todd had coughed something that sounded like 'show off', but was highly impressed when the elf didn't spill a _drop_. Everything edible went in his mouth.

By seven o'clock, Kurt had finished his third helping of eggs and bacon, fifth muffin, and third large glass of milk. Todd did more wide-eyed staring than chowing down.

"Man, I thought _I_ was hungry. You didn't eat this much last night!"

"I was too nervous," Kurt informed him around a mouthful of blueberries and sweet bread. He swallowed. "Und porting takes a lot of energy. Especially if I have a passenger."

Todd grinned in rememberance. "_That_ was trippy, yo."

"You've said that five times already!"

"And I'll say it again. That. Was. Trippy." Todd crunched into a bacon strip. "Yo."

Kurt laughed. "What is _with_ that word?"

"What you talkin' about, yo?"

"Yes!"

"Huh?"

"You just said it!"

"_What_ did I say, yo?"

"That!"

"What?"

"Ach! You _know_ what I meant."

"No I don't, yo."

The playful grin the frog-boy was trying to hide clued him in. "Nevermind. Just pass the salt, frosch-beine." Todd attempt at seriousness dissolved into laughter and he did as asked.

They ate in silence for a while, broken only by silverware clinking against china. The sun had just begun to rise when the boys had arrived at the kitchen, pleasantly surprised to find food already cooked and covered to be kept warm for them. Kurt could not help but think of the old storybook tale he'd been read to as a child.

_Schönheit_ _und das Tier _had been his favorite the moment he'd laid eyes on the old leather cover. Framed in the center of it was an illustration of a soft, beautiful woman cradling the hairy form of a monster in her arms . . . and _not_ staring in horror. Now here he was; a beast confined to an enchanted mansion of sorts and currently dining with a Frog Prince.

Someone up there was pulling his tail.

-------------------------------

Xavier wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose and hung up the phone. This was not turning out as well as he'd hoped. His eyes surveyed the faxed document with more than a bit of anger. Todd had not lied to him; he would have known it. The boy probably was unaware of all this. For about the twenty-seventh time that morning, Charles scanned carefully through the words on the paper.

"How in the name of the Goddess does one adopt a child who ran away?" Ororo murmured.

"I don't know, Storm. But this was on file at Bayville Social Services. It's not genuine, but convincing enough that the fraud would have gone unnoticed."

"She wants him. Raven probably had her eye on him for some time." Ororo paced over to a chair and sank down into it. "We can't let Todd go to school with her there."

Xavier shook his head. "We cannot protect Todd without telling him who Raven really is. That is something I'm not ready to reveal to the students just yet."

"When will you be, Charles? She could hurt them."

"Yes, I know full well what she can do, but I don't believe she will. The children have enough to deal with on a daily basis. On top of it all, they shouldn't have to worry about their principal being in league with Magneto. Raven knows that if she harms my students, it will betray her identity and cause me to take immediate action against her. This is something she can ill afford in her current position."

"Why not just tell Mystique to get out? Tell _her_ you know who she is?"

Charles sighed. "If I do that, she may shed the guise of Darkholme, but attempt to return as someone else. Cerebro is powerful, but it can't tell me everything. Mystique's signature is very difficult to pick up; it was by sheer luck I found her this time. We're at a stalemate."

Storm sighed and brushed a loose strand white hair behind her ear. "I understand then. But why do I feel like we're letting him walk into the jaws of a tiger?"

-------------------------------

"I've been thinking . . . about what you said," Kurt said softly, as he rinsed his plate. Lethargic as usual, Todd had initially protested to clearing the table, but gave in guiltily when Kurt started doing it by himself.

"About what, dawg?"

"Being nothing without your powers? What did you mean?"

Todd did not reply, save for an unintelligible mumble as he dried the silverware with a towel.

"Vas?"

"Nothing." Silence for a few moments, then the forks and knives were dropped with an angry clatter back into the dish rack. "What I said doesn't matter. As if my powers would make a difference to those walkin' steroid factories anyway. Only thing I _can_ do is run away like a coward."

Kurt let the dish he was working on fall back into the soapy water. "There's nothing _wrong_ with running away," he replied quietly.

"Yeah, sure. I've heard all the excuses why too."

Oh for God's sake. Kurt sighed. "I know what you're talking about. The whole 'take it like a man' thing, right? Listen, _I_ tried to 'take it like a man' once. And I was nearly burned alive because of it."

The elf turned his face away from Todd's questioning eyes. "Some children started throwing rocks at me while I was out at night. I . . . started throwing them back. I didn't want to hide anymore. I was angry."

"Waitadamnsec. You're _not_ telling me a bunch of mutie-haters got all sixteenth century witch-trial on yo ass?" Kurt looked him in the eye. Todd knew a load of bull when he heard it, and he could tell by the older boy's expression that this was as far from livestock manure as it could get. "Why didn't you just teleport, man?"

"That was the night I discovered my powers, fortunately," Kurt explained. "And not a moment too soon. My fur took a while to grow back." he added sheepishly.

Todd uttered a strangled little noise.

"I was ashamed of hiding behind my Mama und Papa. Besides, I already looked like a monster; so I thought maybe I could scare them off for good. They started out as a few. But I . . . I couldn't bring myself to hurt them, and they kept getting up. Before I knew it, bigger people came running to see what their kids were doing and why they were screaming. Mother said it was a miracle I escaped with my life. I'll tell you now, I felt a _lot_ lamer recovering from burns than I would have if I'd just run home."

Wide-eyed, Todd agreed by nodding his head.

"Good. So that means you won't kick yourself for staying in one piece, ja?"

Todd stared a moment, head tilted in thought. "Y'know, maybe you got a point there."

_Todd? Kurt? _Both boys started and looked at one another, each recognizing Xavier's voice. _Sorry if I'm intruding. I would like to see you in the library as soon as possible. There are a few more introductions to be made. _

A silence followed, and Kurt knew the announcement was over. He swallowed dryly and replaced his cowl. More introductions . . . wunderbar. Todd must have noticed his unease because the frog-boy's voice was surprisingly gentle when he spoke.

"Hey, come on. There are still some things you _shouldn't_ run away from." Kurt looked over and pale gold irises met their twins. Todd, quite unsure of himself, offered his webbed hand. He had never really cared about anyone besides 'numero uno' before. But Kurt seemed to care about _him_ . . . so it was only fair, right?

Gathering up his courage, Kurt exhaled shakily and clasped blue fingers around his friend's palm. "Okay. Let's do this." He smiled at Todd with more than a hint of nervousness before concentrating on the library.

"Good morning, Kurt, Todd," the Professor greeted as a cloud of sulfurous smoke appeared before them. The smell of brimstone lingered a bit longer than Jean appreciated, accented by the pungent odor of unwashed clothes and . . . mold? Algae? She fought to keep from wrinkling her nose. "May I introduce Jean Grey? Jean, this is Kurt Wagner and Todd Tolenksy, our two newest recruits as of last night."

"Guten tag, Fraulein Grey," mumbled the covered figure.

"'Sup, Chica?"

_Oh no. Why is _he _here?_

"Hi!" Jean greeted them cheerfully, not skipping a beat despite the warning bells sounding in her head. "Welcome to the Institute. I think you guys are going to fit right in here." _At least _one _of you is . . ._

Kurt nodded and looked imploringly at Todd who gestured rather unhelpfully for him to _say_ something. The elf scowled and turned his brain hopelessly to the task of starting a conversation. He felt dry-mouthed and suddenly stupid; as if he only knew a few syllables of English. Fortunately, Jean didn't wait for him to stammer out a sentence.

"Hey, Kurt," she started, "I was wondering if you'd like a tour of Bayville." She had to warn the German kid about _him_ as soon as possible . . . there were only so many ways a thief like Todd Tolensky could influence someone as naive as Kurt. Of course there was always one-way telepathy, but right now that option would be more than a bit awkward. "Would you like me and Scott to show you around after we get back from school?"

Kurt blinked. "Er . . . me and _Todd_, ja?"

_Damn. _"Oh, I'm sure he's already seen everything. He practically grew up here. Anyway, we'll be back around four."

Todd turned away to practiced his glare of burning death on a helpless trashcan. _Fine wit' me. Got better things to do than hang around with the 'social elite' anyway._

"Danke, but I prefer to stay indoors today," Kurt replied, embarrassed and upset. She hadn't even glanced Todd's way. Apparently, Jean was the type of girl who turned up her nose at people like Todd; people from the wrong side of the tracks. _I'm sure she's not a bad person_, the practical side of him mused, though his fur bristled under his robes. _She just doesn't realize that she's being a dummkopf and _hurting _him. _

"That's okay, we'll all hang out together here," Scott offered quickly. "This place has a nice gym. Either one of you shoot hoops?"

"I dig basketball," Todd mumbled.

"Vas is dis basketball?" The elf seemed grateful to change the subject.

_Professor_, Jean sent quickly while Scott was explaining the game rules to Kurt. _I need to warn you about Todd. I don't think it's a good idea for him to stay here. He steals everything he can, disrespects the teachers at school, vandalizes property -_

The Professor did not frown, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes. _Jean. What Todd does at school is his business and mine. It is not for you to decide whether or not he should be given the same chance as you three. I'll also have you know that you are sending Kurt the entirely wrong message about acceptance here at this Institute. _Xavier cleared his throat. "Well, I believe it's about time you three left for school."

"Sure thing, Prof. I'll go get the car ready."

Crestfallen, Jean made as if to slink away after Scott. _Not so fast, Jean. You haven't exactly _met _Kurt._

"I can assure you, Kurt," The Professor was saying gently, "You're among friends here. I will understand if you aren't ready, but I think you should introduce yourself properly."

The hooded boy sighed and peered darkly over at Jean. _I don't care if she screams_, he told himself, gripping the fabric over his head. He paused to think of the flicker of hurt he'd seen on Todd's face before it had turned dark with indifference. _I wouldn't terribly mind if she peed her pants either. _Kurt pushed the cowl back and let Jean see his face. As he expected, her pristine features twisted into a look of shock and she let out a gasp. _Good, _he thought bitterly. _Maybe _now _she'll treat us as equals._

Jean heard. She had felt a twinge of shame at the Professor's words. Now her face burned with it. _I'm sorry._

Kurt stiffened as her thoughts reached them. "Sh-She's telepathic too?" he gulped. Judging by Todd's thunderstruck expression, he had received the same form of apology.

Xavier nodded and immediately, the German boy began to stammer out an apology of his own. It was one thing to think something, but another thing entirely to be overheard. "Don't," Jean interrupted. "I completely deserved that. Todd, if you would like to catch a ride with us, Scott and I will be waiting outside." She looked his way this time while addressing him. Too confused to be a smartass, he simply nodded. They watched as she stepped out of the library toward the garage.

"Okay," Todd muttered after she had left. "I know I missed somethin'."

The elf moaned and covered his eyes. "I can't believe she _heard_ me."

"It's all right, Kurt. Jean is here to learn control, just like the rest of you. What she primarily has to work on is her shielding; to avoid picking up stray thoughts from another's mind. But in this case," Xavier's expression came very close to a smirk. "I can't say karma wasn't having a bit of fun."

After a few moments, the corners of Kurt's mouth twitched into a grin. "Möglicherweise."

"Todd, you'd best hurry if you're to catch that ride. I'd like to speak with you after you return from school."

"About what?" Toad asked, sounding panicky. _I didn't do noth -- wait, wait, yeah I did. _"Uh, the money?"

"That we can take care of now," replied the Professor. "But there's something else. You aren't in trouble, Todd, don't worry. I understand you cannot possibly return the money to each individual person, as you probably did not see any faces. However," Xavier continued, "You'd best dispose of the incriminating evidence."

"Well, when you put it like that, Prof . . ." Todd fished out the crumpled bills from his pockets and handed them to Xavier. He'd had his fun, and was too relieved at not being hauled to the police station to be a fuss bucket about his earnings. Especially since it didn't look like he'd need them.

"I'll make sure this goes to a charity."

"Cool, I'm down with that," Todd grinned. "Steal from the rich, give to the poor, huh?"

"Yes. Somewhat." Xavier's eyes laughed briefly, but the rest of his countenance was stern. "Although, I can assure you, 'Sir Robin Hood', that if I am obliged to donate stolen money in my name again, there will be consequences."

The boy coughed and looked down, apparently fascinated with the carpet. "Yeah, understood. Won't happen again." _I mess up and he kicks me out. Ain't no question 'bout it._

"Wonderful. I'll expect you here after school, four o'clock at the latest. If there's any trouble at all, call me." The Professor handed Todd a small white piece of paper with the number to the Institute printed neatly in black ink.

"Have a good day at school," Kurt wished him, a bit enviously.

"I'll try not to have a bad one. Later, yo!" Todd, realizing that he'd kept Scott and Jean waiting for five minutes already, casually strolled down to the garage.

"Ja, later." The elf stared after him wistfully.

"Why don't you come with me, Kurt? Ororo and I can help get you settled in and give you a tour of the mansion." Kurt followed Xavier as he wheeled out of the room.

As soon as Scott found a suitable parking space and pulled into it, Todd leapt out and over the backseat door. "Thanks. Catch you guys after school," he called, hitting the asphalt at a crouch.

"Okay, Todd. We'll wait in the lot," Jean replied, waving to his retreating back as he walked toward the entrance. She sighed as soon as he had disappeared from sight and leaned back against the soft leather seat.

"Jean?" Scott queried. "You okay?"

"Oh . . . uh, yeah. Just kinda mad at myself. I really screwed up this morning. Everyone must think I'm a first class snob."

"Come on, Jean, you aren't a snob," Scott soothed. Or tried to, anyway. Jean still looked rueful. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Even I had a little trouble believing the Prof let Tolensky in at the drop of a hat. But he knows what he's doing, and we have to trust his judge of character. He probably saw something in Todd that the rest of us missed."

Jean looked up at him finally, the smile he so cherished peeking around the clouds. She opened her mouth and whatever she was about to say was cut off rather abruptly by honking. Duncan waved to her from his car, a white square of gauze taped to his forehead near his left temple.

"I'll see you later, Scott!" Jean opened the passenger door and walked quickly toward Duncan's vehicle, voice raising to rant at the jock for being stupid enough to drive with a head injury.

It was now Scott's turn to sigh and slump forlornly against the upholstery. "But what you see in _him_, Jean, I never will."

-------------------------------

The locker slammed shut with a shuddering bang, fortunately before Todd had put his fingers within range. His eyes trailed up to the meaty fist resting against the steel door and recognized both the football jacket and the spacing of the thick knuckles. "Hello, Jeff," Todd muttered. The collar of his shirt rose up to choke him as he was spun around and flattened against the metal cabinets.

"Bet you think you're safe, huh? Fuckin' leapt for joy when Duncan got his ass hospitalized, I bet. Well I got a message for you, stinkweed. Duncan got let out a bit earlier than what's good for you, but his injury's gonna keep him out of practice for a little while. He'd like to thank you personally for that after school, but for now, here's a little sample of his gratitude."

It was all the warning Todd had before Jeff's fist slammed into his kidney. He crumpled over, barely catching himself from falling on his face. Desperately, he scrabbled to get his legs beneath him only to be kicked back down and called some choice names. His mind railed against him for trying to escape when it would have been over sooner if he'd just lied still. Now Jeff would feel the need to teach him his place.

_Felt a lot lamer recovering than if I'd just . . . _The elf's voice echoed in his memory.

_I am worth it. I am . . . well at least someone thinks I am, right? _Another kick, and Jeff's hands grabbed his arms, yanking on them sharply. Todd was dimly aware that he'd curled into a defensive ball and that a crowd was starting to gather. A few cheerleaders were shouting words of encouragement; or at least he thought so - they sure as hell weren't telling Jeff to _stop_.

_Dammit, I am not a fuckin' punchin bag. So stop layin' around like one and _do _something! _

Todd swung his legs, spindly limbs tangling with the jock's enough to send Jeff stumbling off-balance with a curse. The freshman lurched to his feet and bolted down the hall. His sneakers had difficulty finding traction on the waxed floor and he was certain he heard more than one pair of heavily pounding footsteps behind him. He made a mental note to slime the janitor's closet next chance he got. Todd rounded a corner, failed to check his speed, and did even not see the coach until both of them were sprawled in a heap of limbs and hot beverage.

Cursing a vile streak, Coach Sanders sat up to glare, first at the mocha latté all over his shirt front, then at the hastily apologizing freshman sprawled across his lap. "Tolensky," he growled and caught hold of the boy's shirt, dragging Todd up along with him. "I think we'll be takin' a little visit to Principal Darkholme."

Please, not _her_. His day was already shot to hell. "Aw, no, come on! I said I was sorry! Homeroom's in five minutes anyway, yo!"

"You skip that every day, why break a perfect record? Shut up and start movin'." With a particularily unhelpful shove between the shoulder blades, Todd was forced to lead the trek of doom to the main office. Coach Sanders muttered behind him all the while about dry-cleaning bills and how expensive lattés were getting at Starbucks.

The amphibious teen didn't even have to look behind him to see Jeff and his cronies sneering at his misfortune. All he'd done was delay the inevitable; they'd resume their little 'chat' with him after school. Todd shook his head miserably.

_What a day, yo. What a damn day._

_------------------------------ _

Magneto had given the order. The boy was to be recruited. About bloody time. Raven was anxious to get this over with; the faster the better. Once Tolensky infiltrated the mansion as his first assignment, he could pass her priceless information - straight from Cerebro. All the mutants that showed up on the machine, either her or Magneto would be able to get to first. In war, numbers were almost everything. Next, came strength and integrity. They would find the best mutants, and Charles would have only his pitiful band of sycophant do-gooders. Upon finding themselves outnumbered, they too would leave Xavier and his shining ideals behind to join the Brotherhood.

Todd's mutations had been evident enough without Cerebro, and his background was perfect. No parents, more enemies than friends, no place to go if he should fail. Not that he was worth much, dead or alive. Magneto had stressed carefully to her that this boy was not to be treated like an expendable tool as he might be tempted to stay with Xavier and pass him information on _them. _

But Raven knew the boy better than the Master of Magnetism. 'Toad' wasn't someone who believed in causes; all he cared about was getting from one day to the other. If she approached him promising a means to gain vengeance against all those who'd persecuted him, as Magneto expected her to, the little wart would most likely cringe and insist that he didn't want any trouble. There was very little else that Todd could not provide for himself. Raven was quite sure he actually _enjoyed_ stealing.

In order to convince Toad that Magneto's Brotherhood really _was_ what he needed, Raven would have to use her best tactic: intimidation.

"Mr. Tolensky." The tone was clipped and carefully measured. Todd knew Principal Darkholme's voice by heart and so did not raise his eyes from the linoleum floor as he shuffled into her office.

Raven sniffed the air as he walked past and immediately regretted it. "Ugh. Excuse me while I open a window."

Todd did, grateful for the opportunity to roll his eyes once her back was turned. _Snotty ho._ _If _you _just ran like hell to get away from an ass-kicking, you wouldn't smell like potpourri either. _He hopped up on a chair in his usual posture, waiting for the lecture to begin. The sooner this was over the better. As he had told Scott before, this dame was freaky.

"So, 'Toad'." He smiled at her nervously, unable to determine exactly what that sugar-coated tone of voice was for. Raven continued, uninterrupted. "Shall we have a talk about your new friend, Scott Summers?"

"What about him? He's cool," Todd replied, scratching the canal of his ear with his little finger. Whatever broke the eye-contact. She was seriously creeping him out. "If it hadn't been for him, those jocks woulda stomped my skull flat." Todd could have kicked himself. _Aw, why'd I mention that! Now she's gonna --_

"Hmmm, yes. I guess you've noticed that Scott has special powers?"

_Huh . . . ? Oh, this is so not good, yo._

"There are others like him." Raven's eyes locked with Todd's unwilling ones and held them captive. His blood ran cold. "We need to know more." Her voice was hypnotizing as she walked toward him. Before he had the wits to react, she was at his side . . . then behind him. Long fingers touched his face, almost affectionately squishing his cheeks. "Much more."

_Fuck. She knows. _

"Look, lady," he said weakly, "I don't wanna --"

"SILENCE!" intoned a distorted voice that sure as hellfire didn't belong to a female principal. Nails - no, _claws! _- pierced through fabric to dig into the flesh of his shoulders. In startled pain, Todd dared to look behind him. His heart immediately attempted to hide itself in his airway, choking off a cry of terror. "_You'll do as you're told! _UNDERSTAND?"

Todd found the voice to scream as soon as he could inhale. He struggled wildly, trying to twist his shoulders out of her painful grasp. Raven's lips parted in a jagged sneer as she released him. Todd went sprawling onto the carpet and scrambled backwards, legs and elbows working overtime to get him away from the _thing_ towering over him. His heart hammered so frantically he was sure it was going to burst.

"Oh, did I startle you?" The hulking beast purred.

The boy gasped heavily, barely able to pull in enough air to form coherent words, let alone think of stringing them together. The creature shambled towards him and he slammed his back against the desk, bringing his arms and knees up to shield his face. He was hers now. All hers. Raven's mouth curled into a feral grin.

"There, there, Toad," her normal voice mocked him as she shifted into her true form - a blue skinned woman with brilliant red hair. "No need to be frightened."

"Wh-What are y-you?" he croaked faintly from behind his hands.

"My name is Mystique. I'm a mutant like you, Scott Summers, and quite a few others. And I've got an interesting proposition for you."

"I dun wanna hear it," moaned Todd, hunching further over. Mystique's fingers grabbed his jaw and she forced him to look up at her.

"You. Will. Listen." She said. Todd looked up with terror-filled eyes and didn't interrupt her again.

-----------------------------

Kurt looked around the large room in astonishment. Surely he didn't deserve _this_ much. As if the four poster bed wasn't enough, there was a stereo too? _With _a vinyl record player? He turned bewildered irises to Xavier who smiled in return. "Your parents told me of your affinity for a certain British band and that you were packing your records to take with you. So I made sure you'd have the means to listen to them once you got here."

"Danke, Herr Professor," the elf near purred. "Sehr, sehr durchdacht von Ihnen!"

"You're quite welcome," Xavier chuckled.

"I still can't believe . . ." murmured the young mutant, walking towards his bags which were on the bed. "This bedroom... is mine?"

"Of course, Kurt. That's why your parents sent you here. Because they knew you would be happy."

His spirits dampened a little when he caught sight of the large mirror. Why would he need a mirror? Why would he _want_ one? "I'm still going to scare people."

Storm placed a box on his bed next to the rest of his belongings and glanced up to see the Professor's faint smile. "I have a surprise for you, Kurt." Xavier handed the boy a small object that looked like a watch. "Put this on."

Kurt regarded the holowatch curiously, but did as the Professor said. It was a rather handsome sports watch, though the time was just a little off. And it was digital. And ugly. But of course he'd sooner stick his tail in a crocodile pit than say any of this aloud. Let's see now, how did you set the minutes on one of these blasted things? The elf's furred digits found the buttons on either side of the clock face and pressed them.

It wasn't the _time_ that changed.

Inhaling sharply, Kurt stared at his arm, his furless pink fingers, then finally . . . haltingly . . . the mirror. What he saw nearly made his heart stop. "I don't _believe_ it!" Storm stifled a giggle as the elf-turned-human looked down, to his left, right, then finally turned a small semi-circle to make sure his tail wasn't visible. "I . . . I'm normal!"

Ororo's mirth faded. "Of course you're normal, Kurt," she said gently. "But not because of that machine."

"Storm is right, Kurt. Normal is what you truly are. Never think otherwise. This is just a disguise, so you will not be persecuted by those who do not understand your gifts."

_My gifts?_ _Nein, more like my curse._ Kurt pressed the buttons again, turning his holo-disguise back on. He could not wait to show the others who he truly was - and how he was truly meant to be.

-------------------------------

The refusal was soft-spoken, but not low enough that Raven missed it. Slowly, she knelt down to his level and gripped his chin, forcing him to look her in the face. "I beg your pardon?"

"I - I said n . . . no. Find s-someone else."

Once Mystique processed it, her reaction was below freezing. Her fingertips stroked across Todd's pale cheek. "Did nothing get through your incredibly dense skull the first time you brushed off a direct order?"

"Y-You ain't the boss of _nobody_." Raven closed her eyes, firmly telling herself several good reasons why she should not fracture every bone in the boy's scrawny form. Stubbornness was not something she had been expecting to deal with, nor was stupidity. The boy _couldn't_ refuse her; he didn't _have_ that option, nor did he have the courage to pretend he did. Her baleful glare locked onto him. Tolensky could not suppress the shudders that took over his body.

"Oh, but I _am_. You slipped through the fine cracks of society a long time ago, my dear child. Refuse to carry out this assignment, and I will personally see to it that you never crawl out."

Her fingers were on his throat now, pressing lightly against his jugular. She didn't have to say a word. Todd knew what those fingers could turn into, as easily as he felt the blood sliding down his chest in fat droplets beneath his torn sleeve. "Stand up. Unless you have any more last minute 'heroics'."

With great effort, Todd unfolded his legs out of the cramped ball he'd curled into and reached up to grasp the corner of Darkholme's desk. His thumb brushed against something hard and sharp-cornered as he forced himself upright. He wondered if it was heavy enough to use as a weapon. He wondered if he was out of his mind for even _thinking_ about fighting back.

Mystique was having disturbing thoughts as well. The boy was afraid of her, but he was clinging to hope nonetheless. Hope that didn't exist, or wasn't supposed to, as far as she knew. But something had obviously happened last night . . . something crucial that she had managed to overlook. The boy had not been at any of his local haunts, but Raven guessed he'd found some place off the streets with what he'd managed to steal. The shape shifter did not know half the story, but she was certain of one thing - Magneto would make her pay dearly if her carelessness had cost him this recruit.

"Well? What's your answer now?" she demanded, fear giving an edge to her already sharp tone.

"_Please_, just let me go, lady. I swear to God I won't tell anybody. I - I don't want any part in this, yo." He felt a burning sensation start behind his eyelids, which were closed tightly for as much protection as they could give him.

A bang shuddered the desk behind him and Todd's eyes snapped open to find himself pinned between her clawed arms and the metallic furniture. Raven roared, a primal sound of rage that made one's throat raw just listening to it. Her face was stretching and shifting in places where no face _should_. The boy could not help the scream that tore from his own lungs. He jolted backwards with a bruising violence until he was on top of the desk, sending papers flying with his efforts to break away from Mystique.

His hand closed around the sharp-cornered thing he'd found earlier and with strength born from the basest of instincts, brought the marble paperweight slamming across her face. Both mutants cried aloud as blood spurted, from both Raven's mouth and Todd's knuckles as they grazed across her fangs. Todd drew his legs up and kicked with all his strength into her chest, knocking his path clear and momentarily stunning her with pain. Amber eyes darted about wildly for escape, counting the precious seconds until the shape shifter would recover her second wind and tear him a new one. Almost instantly they fell upon the open window.

Mystique leapt to her feet with an inhuman howl, ready to dish out extreme punishment. The room was empty. She sneered, changing back into her guise as Principal then stalked out of the office. It was time to hunt, apparently.

-------------------------------

Lunch period at Bayville High was seldom anything pretty the first five minutes after the bell rang. Scott literally had to swim through the ocean of students to get to his locker. "Hey Scott, want to meet in the cafeteria?" Paul tried his best to ask over the din of voices. Scott could barely hear him anyway, but he got the gist of it.

"Sure, as soon as I get my lunch," he called back. The locker halls thinned out rapidly as people rushed to beat each other to the lunch lines. Retrieving his sack lunch, Scott closed the door to his locker to find someone leaning behind it.

"H-Hey, Summers . . ." Todd's voice quavered.

He stared at the younger boy for a long moment, taking in everything; the rips in his sleeve, the haunted wide eyes, the blood-soaked toilet paper wrapped around his right hand as a pathetic makeshift bandage. "What the hell happened to you?"

Todd did not answer or even look at him. Scott then mentally kicked himself for disregarding the obvious. Duncan was back; he'd made a point of moping about Jean's resulting fuss over the jock all that morning. Duh, Summers. "Okay . . . okay, let's get you to the the nurse's office."

The suggestion seemed to have a negative effect on Tolensky. He yanked his arm away as the older boy reached for it. "No office," he muttered, face ashen.

Scott winced, understanding. If Todd went to the nurse's office, one question would lead to another and the freshman would be obliged to name some names. He rather doubted the school's star quarterback would get anything worse than a slap on the wrist, but Duncan wasn't the type to let a tattler go unpunished. "I know you're going through a rough time. I'm not asking you to sell anybody out. What's important right now is that you get your injuries patched up, and we can do that at the Institute. Right now we'll just go to the office to call the Professor, and Ororo will come pick you up. We'll figure it all out at home. Sound good?"

It sounded _very_ good. Lulled by the sincerity in the older teen's voice, Todd nearly nodded. But then he seemed to wake up and his gut dropped in panic. "Not the office," he repeated, shaking his head. "Not there."

"What's so bad about the office?"

"Monster," was the whimpered response.

One of Scott's eyebrows rose. "I didn't quite catch that."

"Nothin'. Can't you . . . call from a pay phone?" Todd begged, starting to feel nauseous. The floor tiles beneath his feet had a marble pattern and the lines seemed to squirm and crawl in his vision. He closed his eyes to make it stop, then decided the floor was a lot better than staring at the darkness behind his lids.

Scott was becoming preoccupied with avoiding using his nasal passages to breathe. There was a strong smell coming off the amphibious mutant, as if a dumpster had been left open and not emptied for months. Duncan's buddies had probably tossed the poor kid into one after they were through. "Sorry, but we're gonna have to go to the office to get checked out. It's school policy. Come on, Todd, nobody's gonna hurt you right under Darkholme's nose."

_Oh man, Shades, you don't know shit._ Well, how _could_ he? Summers hadn't _seen_ Darkholme's face mixing around like something out of a tweaky horror flick. What was he supposed to say that wouldn't make people think he'd spent the whole morning smoking joints? Maybe if he was one of those kids who never misbehaved in their whole freakin' life, he'd have a chance at being believed.

The freshman tried to swallow past a lump in his throat. Darkholme was wrong. He _hadn't_ slipped through the cracks. He'd dived into them headfirst. Not even the Professor would take his word over the principal's, and he was sure that if he told Xavier what Darkholme had wanted Todd to do, the guy would kick him out for his own protection.

Todd Aaron Tolensky was by his own damn self because he was a thief, a freak, and homeless white-trash.

"Nevermind," he muttered dully. "Just dun worry about it, I'm cool." Scott's lips were forming a question but Todd couldn't hear it. The hall was bulging in and out while a logical part of his mind told him that he should find a rest room and retain at least a bit of his dignity if he couldn't keep his breakfast. He took a step forward and the floor rose up to meet him.

The world lit up again dimly. Somebody's arms were around his bony shoulders. "It's okay. Shhhh. It's okay." Scott's voice seemed very far away. Todd could hear his breath hitching and forcing gasps out of his lungs while a hand rubbed his back. His face felt unpleasantly damp and it took him a moment of further despair to realize that he was _still _in the nightmare.

"What's wrong with him?"

"The fuck? Is _Tolensky_ having a panic attack? Jared, c'mere, you've gotta see this!"

"Someone should go get a teacher or something."

"God, Matthews is an asshole. Has to prove his pecker's so big . . ."

"Gimme the camera!"

"Somebody get the nurse! He's bleeding!"

"Don't trouble yourselves. I've got it," Scott informed the vultures, his tone in no uncertain terms implying that they weren't helping. Some of them left, getting the message. More wandered off once they figured there was nothing that interesting about an upperclassman trying to talk down a hysterically sobbing freshman.

Though it seemed like hours, it was only halfway through lunch period when Todd was able to compose himself. Humiliation could be an amazingly strong motivator when the occasion called for it. As his trembling gradually subsided into a sort of calm apathy and a few half-hearted attempts to get up, Scott took the initiative and helped Todd to his feet. For a moment the boy looked up gratefully and then quickly down again with no readable emotion. He still shivered.

"Come on," the older boy sighed, allowing Todd to lean against him. The poor kid was completely unhinged about whatever had happened. He was going to need some sort of anchor until he could have a proper talk with one of the adults at the Institute. Scott could manage being an anchor just fine. "Let's go find a pay phone."

-------------------------------

The Professor turned the page of his book with one hand and reached for the phone with the other just as it began to ring. "Yes, Scott?"

"Whoa, Professor, you know it always weirds me out when you do that. "

"Sorry, Scott. What are you calling about?"

"It's Todd." From his position in front of the pay phone, Scott looked over at the diminutive freshman who leaned against the wall, favoring his injured hand. The toilet paper was turning into a matted pink and crimson mass. That _couldn't _be sanitary. Logic bugged him to take the boy to the nurses office, kicking and screaming if necessary. But it was a short-lived idea, as logic had thus far only served to make things worse. _Story of my life_.

"What happened?" Xavier asked in a somewhat urgent tone, picking up stray emotions. Scott was upset and more than a little worried.

"He had another incident with Duncan," Scott explained.

"With Mr. Matthews? Are you certain?"

"Well . . . no, Todd didn't _name_ anyone. I just thought it was a given."

"Let me speak to him."

"Uh, okay. Todd?" A vacant stare at the floor was all the answer Scott received. He snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face until Todd shook his head clear and reached for the offered phone.

"'Lo?" he mumbled.

"Todd. I'd like you to tell me as clearly as you can what happened to you."

An uneasy feeling stirred up from Todd's gut. This was cutting to the chase awfully quick. He didn't know what to say or where to begin. What did it matter if the result was going to be the same? "I was attacked," he replied. "In Darkhome's office." Todd knew he was being vague. He'd make up a better story on the way home; it wasn't as if Xavier was going to believe the truth anyway. All he wanted was to get out of this place, curl up in the bed he'd left unmade, and pretend the whole day was a bad dream.

The Professor's fingertips were making imprints in the spine of the book he held on his lap as he saw the familiar blue-skinned face in Todd's memories. Obviously . . . very obviously, Mystique had not done her homework. She must have tried to recruit Todd; a major mistake on her part, because now her cover was blown. The chess pieces had shifted. He would have to make a move.

"I believe you should come home as soon as possible, and then we can resume our discussion. Tell Scott to drive you to the Institute before lunch is over."

Todd glanced over at Scott, who appeared to be scanning the cafeteria for someone. A thin blonde boy waved impatiently at a table. Scott held up an index finger telling his friend to wait a bit longer.

"I ain't in trouble am I?" Todd couldn't help but ask anxiously. He was gripping the phone hard enough to make the casing squeak.

"No, you aren't. I know you're telling the truth Todd. You have my trust."

Todd felt his eyes sting with relief. "M'kay," he managed to reply, hurriedly wiping at them. He bade the Professor good bye and hung up.

"_There_ you are." The voice drove at him like needles of ice. Tolensky spun around to face Darkholme. "I've been looking for you so we can finish our little talk." Once again his eyes looked about for escape and she chuckled. "Don't bother. I know all your hiding places."

Scott's hands were suddenly on his shoulders. "Mrs. Darkholme, hi, we were just calling Professor Xavier. I think Ororo should be coming around in a bit to check Todd out of school since he's not feeling well. Is it okay if we wait here instead of the office?"

Raven's eyes widened in alarm for just a fraction of a second too long. "Er . . . yes. Of course," she managed. Her bewildered gaze fell on Todd who swallowed with difficulty.

"I-I-I need to change my home address too. Now that I got one."

Her eyebrows looked in immediate danger of popping off her forehead. "Since when, may I ask?" Mystique's tone would have been dangerous if there wasn't a gurgle in it.

"Last night. Woulda told you this mornin', but . . . things got a little freaky."

Raven opened her mouth, closed it, and without another word turned sharply on her heel to stalk out of the cafeteria. "What was all that about?" Scott wondered aloud. Todd reached up and seized the older boy's wrist in a death grip.

"Can we go home? _Now_?"

-------------------------------

"You were right, Ororo. I've made a sore misjudgment."

"Both you _and _Mystique. I have to agree with you on the fact that she would have left Todd alone had she been aware he was one of your students. But now she must know her error, and if she chooses to stay as Darkholme, then you should tell the others who she is. It's only fair to give the children warning so something like this doesn't happen again."

Charles shook his head. "I do not think it is the children who need to be warned. How can they attend school normally if they fear the principal will harm them?"

"Then you should drive her away so this doesn't happen again."

"It won't happen again. I promise that. I cannot drive her away, however, without just cause." He raised a hand to give Ororo pause before she could reply, already sensing the woman's frustration. "Not without revealing she is a mutant. This matter is between her and me, not the students."

Storm was not happy, but she knew that Charles was trying to keep everyone's best interests at heart. And at the same time, battling with his own guilt. "What about Todd? What if he's told the other students for you?"

"He hasn't. He doesn't think they will believe him. Todd didn't think _I_ would believe him."

"And yet you did. Charles, you might save him from nightmares if you alter his memory, but you'll also erase the good that came out of this experience. He learned that he could turn to you in times of trouble. That's not something you can teach verbally. As much as you care for these children, you need to accept that you can't shelter them from everything. So you give them knowledge, and hope for the best."

Xavier stared into the flames of the fireplace and watched the golden light dance on the walls, lost in thought.

**To Be Continued . . .**

_A/N: Y'know what, Logan is just . . . being difficult. He'll show when he shows. And I had originally planned to make this third chapter longer, but this way, since I'm still buzzing with ideas, I can start chapter four and not take nearly as long. --; Chapters, not novellas. Thaaaat's the ticket._


	4. Homecomings

Kurt sighed in deep contentment as he lay back against the tiles of the institute roof. The weather was pleasant but the freedom of going outside in daylight hours would've made the chilliest bone-drenching rain something to dance in. He'd been out in this for a while. His fur and costume were getting hot due to the dark colored material; however this was no cause for upset. On the contrary, he felt ridiculously spoiled.

Xavier had treated him like a human above all, yet understanding and considerate of the things that made Kurt special. For instance, the uniform Xavier had supplied him with fit his body like a dream. It was tailored especially for him, close-fitting but stretchy to allow full flexibility. It even had a comfortable outlet for his tail.

That verdammt tail. When he was seven, he had realized one day that the spaded appendage had become too thick around the base to fit comfortably through the holes his mother had sewn into the seat of every pair of pants he'd owned. Of course Kurt had cried. He hadn't wanted his tail to grow any more; it was quite enough he _had_ one. God bless her, his mother hadn't been upset at all about this growth spurt. She'd spent the day with him curled up in her lap and taught him how to sew - something she thought everyone with an ounce of good sense should teach their children.

Thinking of her and the way she had held him that day, kissing away his tears of shame, Kurt felt a profound pang of homesickness. Had he really made the right choice? He'd called his parents as soon as he'd arrived at the Institute with Xavier's permission. The sheer amount of relief in their voices at his safe arrival had filled him with guilt and worry. Papa admitted that they hadn't slept a wink since they put him on the plane to Canada, not even after one of their friends had called in inform them that Kurt was safely on the train to Bayville.

He'd passed unharmed through a lot of real danger to get here, but his parents had suffered through fears of a thousand possibilities. If anything happened to him, they would never forgive themselves for letting him come to America. Kurt loved them too much to allow them to grieve like that. For that reason first among others, he refused to be careless with this new gift.

The inducer could get broken or fall off. The battery could wear out. Someone could accidentally _touch_ him. A number of disasters could happen and Kurt was not eager to experience any of them. The part of him that itched to leave the Institute grounds and go exploring in the sunlight clashed with these worries. Kurt shifted and put one arm over his eyes to keep the sun out of them. Well at least he could go to school without worry. School was just a place to learn and sit behind a desk. No-one would bother him there so long as he looked normal.

Kurt sighed gently, and then suddenly sat up to peer in confusion at the red convertible that rolled through the gates and up the driveway to the Institute. Seated inside were Scott and Todd. Xavier and Ororo both were walking to meet them. Kurt bit his lip. Had there been trouble at school? Not wanting to eavesdrop or be accused of as such, Kurt backed away from the roof's edge and teleported into his room.

He'd find out what was going on later.

-----------------------------------

Todd's eyes focused on the sterile gauze wrapped around his injured hand. The incisions were not deep enough to require stitches, and they didn't hurt. Or perhaps they had yet to.

Charles' brow furrowed in concern at the silence of his youngest charge. The teen had come to him in a considerable amount of distress. The fear wasn't as wild as it had been during the previous connection with Todd at the payphone. Now that Mystique was no longer able to torment him - for the moment, anyway - it had lessened considerably. But it was still there.

At the sound of a polite cough, Todd nervously glanced at Xavier and just as quickly shifted his eyes away.

"Well, now that you're in a safer environment, would you care to tell me what happened?" Xavier already knew most of what had happened but there were obscured details and he needed to hear Todd recounting it. This wasn't the type of experience one kept bottled up.

Todd gave an indistinguishable mutter and kept his eyes on the ground. Xavier reached across and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, Todd . . ."

The young mutant obeyed, yellow eyes bright with unshed tears.

"As far as I can see, you've done nothing wrong. I'm glad you came to me when you thought you were in trouble. Whatever happened, I'm here right now to listen to your side of the story, not to judge you. "

"What's the point in telling?" Todd replied despondently. "You're a telepath. Wouldn't it be better if you just . . . went ahead and saw for yourself?"

Charles bowed his head. "I understand. You haven't had much experience with being trusted, have you?"

Dammit, this was hard. Todd hated having his hopes brought up for nothing. He swallowed dryly, promising himself he would not show any further weakness. "I'm a troublemaker, everybody knows it. Why you pretendin' it's news? Jeez, dawg, just this mornin' you collected stolen money from me."

"Which you gave over without fuss or lie. All of it, while you could have attempted to keep some for yourself. I think that shows there might be a spark of honesty in you somewhere, don't you?" The Professor's eyes were friendly. The boy's heart wondered how friendly they'd look after Xavier heard what he had to say. He might as well be done with it then.

"Principal Darkholme's real name is Mystique. She was trying to get me to fight for Magneto. I - I really can't tell you who or what that is," he quavered apologetically. He could feel himself trembling and made a vain effort to stop. "She didn't explain it to me very well."

"That's all right. Please, go on," Xavier told the agitated teen. Todd was mentally begging Xavier to go into his mind; to take what he needed to know and just let him leave if that was best. Telling was painful. Being listened to was worse. The boy was used to the grownups already knowing what he'd done wrong and then punishing him. The fact that Todd hadn't done anything wrong was lost to years of conditioning that whatever bad things befell him was automatically and without fail, _his fault._ Xavier wanted more than anything to draw him out of that mindset, and by giving Tolensky the opportunity to tell his side of things, was hopefully making some progress.

What Charles wasn't prepared for was how much strain it was causing the boy to have tradition broken so suddenly, and yet still be utterly convinced that this was not going to end in his favor.

_You can do this, Todd_. Xavier pushed gently into the frog-teen's mind. He searched for the bit of helpful logic that was being crushed by fear and doubt, and brought it up front. _If he was going to kick you out for somethin' that you haven't done, why's he takin' time to listen to you? _

Todd blinked at that thought, and the barrier of self-blame and hopelessness began to crumble just a bit around the edges. Shakily he continued. "I was supposed to join up with you like a normal recruit, find out all I could 'bout the mansion and take info back to her. On top of that, to steal files from somethin' called Cerebro. I said no, so she went all freaky and attacked me."

"How did she attack you?" Charles pressed gently. Todd's heart skipped a beat. The man honestly appeared to believe him at his word. But why? How could he _tell?_ Todd was too confused to be relieved.

As the boy continued, Charles listened with more than his ears. From what he could gather, Mystique's threats had been realistic, unlike the nightmarish illusions. She knew that Todd would have had nowhere to turn and no-one to believe him had he still been living on his own. Through unlucky circumstances and past misdemeanors, Todd was a young man used to being on the wrong side of the law and therefore unprotected by it.

Having finished, Toad apprehensively returned the older man's solemn gaze. Xavier sighed and rested his chin between thumb and fingers for a brief moment.

"You, uh," Todd ventured. "Really think I'm on the level?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"How do you know without . . . knowing? Honestly, if you hadn't offered me a place to stay and all that, I might've agreed to her."

Xavier raised one eyebrow. "You may have, perhaps," he said, casually.

"Don't it bother you that I might've been your enemy if I didn't come here first?"

"Mr. Tolensky, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you refused Mystique because of something much stronger than 'first come, first serve' philosophy. Why do you really think it was that you came to decline her invitation?"

"Because I was stupid. You shoulda seen her. I mean, only a true idiot would've said 'no' to something breathin' down their neck through fangs like _that_. I wanted more than anything to say yes and not die, but . . . but if I had to fight Kurt and the rest of you, my life would suck." Todd's gaze widened in genuine surprise at what he'd just declared, but he didn't regret them at all.

Xavier smiled. "Indeed?"

"Y-Yeah. I guess it's cause nobody ever gave me the time of day before. But _you_ listen to me, y'know? I didn't wanna leave you, or Kurt, or anybody . . . 'cause . . . 'cause I ain't never had a home bef. . ." The teen couldn't finish. He hid his face between bare knees because breathing cooler air seemed to generate an uncomfortable prickling sensation behind his eyes and in his throat.

"Todd." The amphibian felt gentle hands on his shoulders, and to his mortification, could not hold back a sniffle. "I don't need to read your mind to see that you're a very courageous young man. I want you to realize this for yourself. You stood up for yourself despite your fear, and managed to escape when things turned violent. That shows a quality of bravery I'm not likely to discard. In other words, you are in no uncertain terms staying here for as long as you choose."

It was a time before Todd could stammer out a thank you, or in fact, anything at all distinguishable.

"You're quite welcome." Xavier replied gently. "And as for Darkholme . . . I'm certain she will not approach you or any other student at school in a threatening manner again."

"How?" the boy asked, helping himself to the box of Kleenex with one hand, while he shielded his tear-stained face with the other. "I mean, the lady's pretty unstable. You sure she'll listen to you?"

Charles sighed. "I'm not certain. But I do have ways of persuasion. Silence can sometimes be the strongest weapon."

Todd looked up in alarm, all vanity purposes forgotten. "You're not gonna say anything? But what if she does this to other mutants? As long as she's principal --"

"I know exactly who and where she is," finished Xavier. Todd looked bothered for a moment, then comprehension dawned.

"You're gonna spy on her."

"I'm going to keep tabs on her current identity. I don't want her to be forced out of her disguise. Mystique is very hard to track, even with Cerebro. Right now she needs money and power to recruit young mutants such as yourself. In this position of power, Mystique has to appear to be a law-abiding citizen. I can track her movements if I believe them to mean harm to my students. But if she's someone else - who isn't under scrutiny - she can get away with a lot more."

"Personally, I think she's gettin' away with plenty already," Toad grumbled. What were the kids who weren't under Xavier's protection supposed to do? Xavier couldn't look after everyone . . . but maybe he didn't have to.

Tolensky chewed thoughtfully on a corner of his lip. "You telling the others who she is?"

"All the students will know who Darkholme is by morning at the least, and hopefully they too will understand why I prefer to keep her within my sights. The events of today have convinced me even further that knowledge _is_ the best defense."

"As much as I'd like to see her sacked, yo, that does make sense. Anyway, if it's okay . . . I think I'd like to find a place where I can chill out."

Charles nodded. "I would suggest it."

And as soon as Todd left, Xavier was going to pick up the phone and have a little chat with the guardians of Duncan Matthews, Bruce Malchin, and Jeff Corey.

-----------------------------------

"What _happened?_"

Raven closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Magneto. Of course he would be infuriated about this. Damn that little . . .

"I'm sorry, sir," she attempted. "We were overconfident about the boy's availability."

Magneto's voice was cold. "_We_, Mystique?"

"_I_ was overconfident," Raven corrected. She took the seat at the oaken desk to conceal the slight quivering of her knees. "Xavier got to the boy first because I was careless. He was a drifter, a _nobody_. I thought he would be overlooked."

"Obviously you were mistaken."

Raven sat unmoving, seeing little purpose in reminding Magneto that he had been the one who'd expressed his opinion that Charles would never try to recruit someone like Todd Tolensky into his noble team of X-men; that she should stop worrying about something that would never happen. As it was, she was in enough trouble for disregarding Magneto's advice on how to approach the boy.

"If you had done as I said," he was saying, "Perhaps he would have questioned his place with Xavier."

"I thought he had no-one."

"Well, as proven, you thought wrong. I am disappointed with you, Mystique. You practically sent the boy to Xavier."

"Xavier can _have _him. Anyone could see that Tolensky was a waste of time," Raven growled dismissively. She was tired and starting to get a headache from the whole stupid muddle of things. A stapler lifted off the desktop and opened, hovering between her wide eyes. Raven drew back in her chair the whole way though it did little good to shake off the malicious office appliance. "M-Magneto, I . . . Forgive me, please!"

"Even if Todd would have proved a less than exemplary soldier, it doesn't reflect well on us to be unable to recruit even the simplest of mutants. On top of that, Xavier will have now become aware of the fact that you are working for me. That is not information I wanted him to have!"

Unable to tear her gaze away from the stapler's readiness to perform, Mystique's mind scrambled for an answer. "That may not necessarily be the case," she gasped. "What if Tolensky hasn't said anything for fear of being doubted? It will only be a matter of time before he is tired of being mistrusted and leaves Xavier's school."

"You are making blind guesses at best, Mystique. You underestimated the boy's worth, and now you underestimate Xavier's fondness for strays. He'll take that boy under his wing and turn him into yet another tool which can be used against us." Magneto made a disgusted gesture and the stapler fell to its former lifeless state. "I will know if and when he tries to remove you from this office. Whatever miracle you're hoping for that Xavier will not believe the boy enough to take action against you, its prospects are rather dim."

Silence.

Mystique swallowed dryly and scanned the room, even though she knew Magneto was already gone. Unable to keep from trembling, Raven tossed the stapler into a trashcan and folded her hands on the desk for just a moment's repose. Magneto had abandoned her to her own devices but she wasn't going to sit this out and wait for the best. The outcome of this disaster was up to her. A drawer opened containing files and folders of paperwork. She sighed and drew one of the folders out, dropping it on her desk with a heavy smack.

It was going to be a long night.

-----------------------------------

Scott had gone back to school before Kurt could ask him anything, but Todd had been allowed to remain home. Judging by Ororo's agitation in the kitchen (she'd nearly dropped a teacup twice while drying it) this was something big.

In the hopes that anything considered unwelcome intrusion would be forgiven between friends, Kurt made his way to the boy's room. He cleared his throat gently as he approached the half-open doorway and gave another of his famous ghost knocks on the frame.

"Kurt?" a hopeful voice sounded from within. The door swung open. "Yo, come in, man! You ain't gonna believe what . . . Gah!" As suddenly as he'd appeared, Todd vanished from sight. Kurt blinked in utter confusion until two things hit him. The first was that he had his inducer still on. The second, that Todd had never _seen _him with his inducer on and this must be the reason why Todd was clinging to the ceiling and regarding him in a growing state of alarm.

"Easy, easy, it's just me!" Kurt vowed, holding up both hands peacefully. His fingers turned off the inducer, reverting back to natural form. "Ta Da!"

"GAAAAAHHH!" Todd hollered, flattening himself against the ceiling.

"Todd! What is up with you?" With a bamf, Kurt appeared upside-down next to him. Todd yelped again, and let go of the ceiling. Kurt made a failed grab for him and winced as Todd _just _missed the bed.

"Ooooh . . ." he groaned brokenly from the floor. Todd wobbled to his feet even as Kurt somersaulted down to assist him. "Okay, okay. It _is_ you. My bad."

"Now do you mind telling me what that was all about?" Kurt asked, helping the smaller teen onto the bed. "I was under the impression you were used to me."

"Wasn't you. The change between forms is what caught me off guard. I got on a shape-shifter's shit list today."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You mean another mutant? Is Xavier going to try and recruit him?"

"It's a her, and no he's definitely not." Briefly, Todd sketched out the events of that morning. He found that it was far easier to talk about this time than it had been with the Professor. Kurt's eyes were wide with intrigue.

"No way," he breathed. "We have an insane mutant were-wench for a principal?"

"About as weird as it gets. But you got a story of your own, boy. Where did you pick up _this _mad prop?" The frog-boy held up Kurt's wrist to look closer at the watch. "From the Professor?"

"Ja, isn't it super? I can go anywhere with this thing!"

"Wicked! See, I knew he'd come through for ya."

"Of course I have to be careful, but the Professor says I can go to school tomorrow!"

". . . I fail to see why that's a _good_ thing, yo."

Nightcrawler rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that. I'm sure Principal Darkholme won't give us trouble so long as we don't give her more than the usual." He winked. Todd looked skeptical. "Oh, come on! This is the first I've ever been able to mingle with strangers. In daylight! Psychos in the faculty aside, how can I _not_ be excited about this?"

"Then I really do hate to put a damper on it for ya, but the novelty's gonna get old real quick. High school has a thousand and three ways of putting the poop in your party-life."

Kurt's tail swished in vexation. "Fein, it'll be horrible, but I'd still rather go than be cooped up inside and go stir-crazy." The elf could feel his heart drooping with disappointment. He'd thought Todd would be _happy_ that he was going to school with him.

Todd might've flippantly said that going stir-crazy in hell itself would be better than Bayville High, but in a moment of insight, realized Kurt was not in a joking mood about this. "Okay, I'm sorry. I had a sucky day and while that probably won't happen to you beyond anything you can't handle, I just wanted to give you fair warnin'. One high school, many levels of persecution. With or without the wonder watch. Know what I'm sayin?"

"Believe me," Kurt softened, putting an arm around Tolensky's shoulders. "Persecution and I are old friends. There'll be no surprises for me."

-----------------------------------

Strands of coarse sandy hair blew about the stranger's face as he stared down from a mountain ledge. His target was leaving a convenience store and heading toward a motorcycle, obviously to go back to wherever he was staying.

Victor Creed wasn't the kind of man to believe in luck, but after months of hunting this guy down, it seemed like he'd finally caught a break. All he had to do now was follow Logan back to the secluded woods where they could resume their little 'argument'. Or so he thought.

Sabertooth's eyes narrowed as Logan's bike headed in the opposite direction, towards town. He couldn't imagine why. The man valued seclusion and quiet since the urban smells and sounds threw off his advanced senses. Creed snarled to himself in vexation and his claws dug into the rocky terrain. He'd have to wait a bit longer to pinpoint Logan's current lodgings. For all he knew at this moment, the man could be leaving the state.

Just as he was about to climb down and follow the scent afoot, another scent made him wary that he was not alone up here. Victor whirled around, coat fluttering and snapping. Floating before him was a man in crimson and metal attire, complete with cape and helm.

"Who're you?" Creed rumbled.

"You may call me Magneto. I have an interesting proposition for you."

"Not interested." He started to climb down and, though he'd never own up to it, yowled in surprise as he felt himself being lifted into the air.

"What about now, friend?"

"I think you should put me down before you get tired, old man. I'm no lightweight." But Victor had to admit, Magneto had gotten his attention.

"I see you're playing cat and mouse. What if I could give you an easier time of catching him?"

"I'd have to say that I don't need your help. Takes all the fun out of it."

Magneto smirked. "You consider trekking miles through the deserts of Nevada after scent trails 'fun'?"

Sabertooth growled low in his throat. "How long have you been following me?"

"I found you by chance if that's what you mean. But I know someone who can find mutants - any mutant in the world - with the aid of a machine called Cerebro. Help me get to it, and you'll have your mouse."

Sabertooth either grimaced or smiled; it was hard to tell which. His answer, however, did not leave Magneto disappointed.

-----------------------------------

"And then he gave five pages of homework on Calculus - _five pages_ - because that idiot Andre wouldn't turn off his cell phone in class!" Jean fumed from the passenger seat of Scott's car.

Scott drove on in silence, his mind on something other than Jean talking. And apparently, also on something other than driving.

"Mr. Jordan said that if we -- Scott! That was a stop sign!"

"Shoot!" Scott looked behind him nervously to see that there was no cop car that had seen the misdemeanor. Only an old woman who turned left into the lane behind him honking furiously at his disregard for traffic laws. "Sorry, Jean. I got distracted."

"Do you want me to drive?"

"No, I'm fine now."

"So, uh, how was your day?" Jean asked. Scott didn't feel like talking about it, and so relayed the events another way. The red-head gasped. "Oh, Scott . . . Who do you think it was?"

Scott risked a glance at her and it was not a happy one. "You tell me."

Her eyebrow raised at the not-so-subtle indication. "Duncan? I know you and he don't get along, but he's got better things to do than beat freshmen into a living pulp."

"You don't appear to know the guy very well, Jean."

"Would I date a guy who didn't have a life?" Silence. "Well?"

Scott whistled nonchalantly, pretending he hadn't heard the question.

"Scott!" Jean snapped, then sighed. "Okay, he does seem the brawn over brain type. A little."

"He's a first class jerk. Read his mind and you'll see."

She shook her head. "No, I'd rather not. I want this relationship to be built on trust, and if I'm always snooping around in his mind what's the point? I might end up judging him too much. You know, especially for thoughts that boys sometimes have that aren't exactly . . . shall we say pure?"

She'd seen thoughts like those before. Jean suppressed a shudder. Some of Duncan's 'kink' ideas were just disturbing, which is why she made it a point not to wander through his mind. She was still new at this and the likelihood of accidentally coming across another rope and handcuff fantasy was a bit high for her comfort level. What mattered - or what should matter - was that he behaved like the perfect gentleman to her.

"Hey, don't take it seriously," Scott was saying. "If Duncan or any of his friends are the perps, it's not your responsibility to get involved. I'm just looking out for your safety."

Jean smiled at him, but her tone was firm. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself."

-----------------------------------

Night was beginning to drop its purple hues over the east coast, and for the students at the Institute it meant finishing up homework and getting ready to wind down for the night. Well, half the students anyway.

Scott threw down his pen at another set of galloping thumps out in the hallway passing his room. Yanking the door ajar, Scott opened his mouth to yell at whoever was creating the noise and managed to inhale a great gulp of blue fur before he was flattened.

"Ach! I'm sorry! Sorry!" Kurt tried desperately to untangle himself from Scott's dazed form.

"You okay, Summers?"

"I'm fine," Scott muttered, between spitting and coughing out tufts of Kurt's coat. Kurt was brushing himself off and muttering a litany of apologies.

"Yo, we didn't see you," Todd added. "No harm meant."

"No harm done, except I'm trying to finish a History essay and you guys are making a racket. What are you doing?"

"We're playing wall-tag. It's good exercise!" the elf grinned, now attempting to brush himself off Scott.

"Do it outside then. There's plenty room for running amok on the grounds."

Kurt brightened at this. "Jawhol. It is getting a bit hot indoors. Some cool air may be just the thing." He turned to exchange hi-fives with Todd. "You're it," Kurt informed, then 'ported away. Todd blinked, then realized he'd been had.

"I said no 'portin! Aw, that's it, blue boy! You in trouble now!"

"Come and get me, Kermit!" the elf catcalled from downstairs. Todd took off hopping towards the source.

Scott rolled his eyes and retreated into the relative safety of his room, grumbling. "They keep this up when Logan gets back, they'll get more exercise then they could ever hope for."

"I'm gainin' on ya!"

"As if, slowpoke! You couldn't catch flies on a windshield!"

"Oh yeah!" Todd rebounded off the tree and landed in a network of branches that were interlaced, which meant he could hop across them as if they were the forest floor. It was a slight advantage over Kurt who was using tree trunks that were further apart and had to take more time and energy making the jumps.

"You have no sense of challenge," Kurt complained lightly. He could port away the minute Todd looked ready to pounce, but where was the fun in that? Ah, now the trees were getting thicker. The elf headed toward up the branches on his side of the canopy and looked over to see Todd racing alongside him.

Little did they know that their game was taking them deeper into the woods surrounding the Institute, and over the path of a lone figure walking towards it.

-----------------------------------

Logan was not happy.

He'd had little luck finding out what he wanted to about his past, the fumes from the cities he'd ridden through had been nauseating to breathe in, and now his bike's front wheel was dented thanks to loose gravel on the road and a turn that was just a touch too sharp for such conditions. Wolverine's scratches had finished healing forty paces back, but the right side of his jeans was worn down and almost shredded by the friction of the road.

_Coulda_ _been worse_, Logan thought to himself. _And if I hadn't been in such a damn hurry to get back, I mighta been more careful. _

The newspaper photo at the convenience store had looked like Cyke's work, but he couldn't be sure of that or the circumstances surrounding it. What if the kid had been attacked? What if it was a completely new mutant?

"Maybe Xavier's right about gettin' a cell," he muttered, and winced inwardly at the intrusion that would promise.

A sudden noise reached his ears. Logan sniffed the air and growled at the unfamiliar smells of two people headed his way. Neither were human. One smelled of fur and sulfur, the other of damp decomposing plant-life. Combined, the unpleasantness was enough to set Logan on edge.

He started walking again toward the Institute, determined to intercept and interrogate.

Kurt had lost sight of Todd during their race. One minute the froggish teen was hopping across from him, the next, gone. Nightcrawler didn't spare a moment to think the younger mutant wasn't up to something. He kept his pace up, but opened his senses to his surroundings, in case Todd had switched sides and was right on his heels.

A twig breaking from the ground below was what made Kurt stop. It was a direct violation of the game rules to touch the ground and Todd knew it. Nightcrawler's muscles tensed.

"Cheaters never prosper!" he yelled and merrily pounced.

The elf's bones jarred as he landed on two hundred and plus pounds of adamantium, and whoever he'd landed on wasn't too happy about it either. Kurt found himself tossed aside like a toy, the wind whooshing out of his lungs as his back slammed into a thick pine.

Low growls and footsteps approached his sprawled form as Kurt tried desperately to breathe again.

"Crawler! Look out!"

For the second time that night, there was the sound of one body colliding with an unyielding second, followed by a pained cry from Todd as he failed to dodge a retaliatory kick. A wet splat and disgruntled cursing indicated that Todd wasn't down for keeps. Kurt was still gasping for air when something grabbed hold of his arm and tugged. "Come on, I don't think my slime's gonna hold him."

"Can't run," Kurt wheezed. "Hold on to me."

Toad's grip tightened nervously as Nightcrawler concentrated on the Institute. It wasn't far, and they'd be safe so long as he kept focused, but his mind was panicking and came up blank. Kurt gave a whimper of frustration and tried to think of just one specific location within the mansion.

"Whoever you are, you're in for a world of hurt if you're after trouble," the mystery man snarled. Metal rang out with a sharp 'snikt'. Todd and Kurt both saw gleaming blades illuminated by leaf-filtered streams of the gibbet moon overhead. Their hearts leaped in their throat, constricting any screams that may be forthcoming. In terror, the boys clung to each other and Kurt's instinct to flee overrode all sense of precaution.

Logan took a step forward and stopped as his triggered aggressiveness allowed certain facts to sink in. He'd had no time to realize a few seconds ago, but now that he could see them shaking, fear frozen upon their features . . .

_Goddamn it. They're just kids. _

His claws retracted. "It's okay," he said, gruffly. "I ain't gonna . . ." Logan trailed off in confusion, staring at the empty space before him. Brimstone and sulfur clouded his nose and he turned his face away with a cough.

"Where the hell did they go?"

**To Be Continued . . .**

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_A/N: Yes, I know, another damn cliffhanger. I keep thinking if I end it on a cliffhanger I'll get to writing it faster, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way. --; I would've written more, but I felt that all of you had waited long enough. Hope this is worth the wait. RL likes to take me by the tailcoats sometimes, as it does to all of us. Thank you for being so patient with meeee!_

_Next chapter, you guessed it. Todd and Kurt get up close and personal with the Danger Room. And then Kurt's first day at school. It would've taken another fifteen pages to resolve that, and I think this chapter is long enough. _

_And I have to add a disclaimer I neglected due to ignorance from the last chapter. The band I referenced to Kurt liking was the Beatles, and I thought it was mentioned in the show or comics that he liked that band, but now I realize actually comes from Internutter's universe. Sorry Nutter! ;_


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